RavenStar The Rise of Phoenix
by Phluph
Summary: Set in the far future: Trigon has returned and the fate of the Multiverse lies with the two lovers Raven and Starfire, former Teen Titans changed forever by unseen forces. But... are they willing to give up...and gain... what is required to defeat him?


**Raven-Star – The Rise of Phoenix**

©Phluph, September 29, 2006

3rd revision November 11, 2006

http://phluph. for backside of cover

**Authors note**

Though loosely based on the Teen Titans comic book and TV series, this is a wholly original parody and fanart work that contains original characters by me as well as those from Teen Titans. As the original comic books and the television series only loosely correlate with each other and are often downright contradictory, this work continues in the same vein. Don't expect things here to exactly fit with the books or the series cause they won't. DC Comics and Warner Bro's. who own Teen titan's have given _no_ approvals of any sort to this original work.

The cover artwork is a modification of the cover from 'Angel Dust' by Aoi Nanase. While the original artwork is 'typical beautiful anime girl', the modification done by sucubus001 from deviant Art who has given me permission to use her mod, has transformed it into the perfect cover-art for my story.

**- Prologue -**

After the second apocalyptic battle with Trigon which ended in the destruction of Azarath and its people, Raven hoped that she had finally seen the end of that damned Prophecy and had truly destroyed her father Trigon. At least this time _she_ was not the one who had created the portal that Trigon used.

Even though they had known it meant the utter destruction of themselves and Azarath, the Azar knew they had to gather and add all their power to that being thrown against Trigon by Raven and Starfire if he was to be finally stopped. They knew Raven alone could never handle that much power - it would destroy her in an instant - but splitting it between her and Starfire on the other hand - that could work. All it would take is a little tinkering with their beings...

Thankfully Starfire was not only Tamaranian - a physically very powerful race that already unconsciously tapped power of the Multiverse to use for levitation and a few other purely physical things to begin with - but she had also been an Avatar for Ravens' spirit for several Earth-years when Ravens' body had briefly "died" when Green Lantern had to kill her thanks to Trigons' premature attempt to force her to become the portal between his prison realm and Earth.

While she could not use any of Ravens powers while she was an Avatar, she did gain an understanding of them and a deeper understanding of Raven herself. Once Raven's mother Arella and the monks of Azarath had taught Raven to recreate her body and she was able to separate from Starfire, the knowledge Starfire had gained stayed with her. That time combined with her brief experience in really using the purely non-physical aspect of the energy that fills the Multiverse when their actual bodies were switched by the Puppet King made her a perfect conduit for what was needed to be done.

As the battle raged the Azar gathered their strength and made the changes in Raven and Starfire they would need to survive this battle - and more. They focused their minds on Raven and Starfire and searched their entire beings - there. That is where the changes are to be made...

For a brief instant Starfire and Raven froze, floating motionless in the air. Suddenly both were enveloped in a blinding electric-blue ball of light and their bodies convulsed, racked with intense surges of power flowing through them. The ball then imploded in upon them in an even brighter white flash and was gone. Raven and Starfire, blinded for a second blinked and then looked at each other, stunned.

What had just happened? They seemed unharmed and felt: Power! An unfathomable amount of raw Power now filled their entire being. They were astonished to see the very air around them literally crackling with bolts of energy leaking from their auras.

"There. It is done." the Azar weakly said after the changes were made. With one final effort they had transferred all of their Life energy into Raven and Starfire. With their final energies as they gave all they had, the entire race of the Azar formed one last thought before dying: Let us pray that this is enough!

Trigon saw both Raven and Starfire suddenly struck by something that froze them for a few seconds. When whatever it was had faded, seeing their brief incapacitation Trigon had attacked Starfire full-force bellowing as he struck, "**DIE**_** GREEN-EYED ONE!**_"

As she saw Starfire fall smoking after a savage rip of energy from Trigon, Raven cried out to her, "Starfire! Noooo!" She lost all thought of consequences to Azarath and the Earth and unleashed her full uncontrolled fury against him. Trigon was thrown back, roaring and bellowing in agony as one arm was incinerated and then torn from his body taking a large part of his shoulder with it. As Trigon fell to one knee on the ground he roared in pain and anger "_**HOW**____** HOW DID YOU DO THAT**____** WHERE DID YOU GET SUCH POWER? YOU CANNOT **_**DO**_** THIS TO ME... AGAIN!!!**_" Trigon tried to recover and gather his power for another attack but never had the chance as Raven struck again.

Beastboy, Cyborg and Robin, had watched in disbelief as both Raven and Starfire, high above the ground had been struck by something that didn't seem to come from Trigon. Both of them had been enveloped in a blinding ball of electric-blue light that within seconds exploded in a brilliant white flash leaving both glowing with crackling blue auras surrounding them looking confused and disoriented. Suddenly, seeing the two momentarily stunned Trigon had attacked Starfire and then Raven counter-attacked scant seconds later.

Nearly blinded by first the ball of light and then Raven's stunningly powerful attack the Titans watched as she sped to catch Starfire's body falling to the ground still smoking from Trigon's attack. As Raven caught her there was another blindingly intense flash of light surrounding the two. They remembered seeing Raven, her entire body ablaze with power floating alone, with no sign of Starfire to be seen anywhere, begin to spread herself for what had to be a final attack.

Then the universe seemed to end.

Diving towards the ground Raven had streaked towards the still falling Starfire. As she reached out and caught Starfire she was startled as Starfire, somehow still alive and only stunned, with a brilliant burst of light _merged into her! _ An instant later Raven/Starfire realized there was almost a doubling of the already phenomenal power at her disposal and she instantly unleashed it all against her father.

Without a word she spread her arms and legs wide, her cloak flowing behind her as incredible power, far greater than Raven ever thought possible first gathered at and then began to burst forth from all chakra points on her body. "ArrrRHHHYYYEEE!" she screamed feeling as though her body was about to burst from the unimaginable energies flowing into it. Releasing the power with her arms, legs and whole body she focused it into one point and hurled the bolt of immeasurable energy against her father.

As the massive bolt struck Trigon she threw up a shield around herself and the rest of the Titans. The energy continued to pour out from her as she screamed. As the Titans watched, even through the darkness of Ravens shield it was almost blinding to behold. Suddenly it became too intense to watch and the Titans turn away and covered their eyes to not be blinded by the powers being unleashed.

Trigon had briefly resisted the attack initially deflecting a small part of it. The deflected power instantly began incinerating all of Azarath but the power from Raven grew even more as she threw all she could summon in this one final attack. Though really lasting only only a handful of seconds, for what seemed an eternity the power still growing in intensity flowed through her. Straining at the intense effort every fiber of her being was screaming in pain. "Is there no end to it?" Raven thought with clenched teeth, "How can I - we - be doing this!" The power rose ever higher as Raven screamed in agony "ArrrghYEEEEEE!!!"

"_**THIS... CANNOT... BE!**_ " bellowed Trigon, stunned at what was happening. As the terrible onslaught assailed him, finally he could take no more. His body began to burn and then disintegrate. With one last deafening roar from Trigon as he was ablaze with energy and literally coming apart he bellowed: "_**THIS ... IS... IMPOSSIBLE**____** NOOOOOOO!**_" Still Raven continued the attack until the very fabric of space was torn apart. In a final massive concussion of energy space itself distorted, the whirling energies covering the entire spectrum bombarding Raven's shield in a dazzling display of colors. The remains of the dimension of Azarath then collapsed in on itself taking what was left of Trigon with it and with a final rather anti-climatic burst of light, was gone.

When Raven finally stopped, exhausted and almost unconscious, nothing was left but a black ball floating in empty space with herself and the Titans inside of it. The shield seemed to briefly shimmer and the stars reappeared as it and the Titans returned to real-space.

The entry point to Azarath had been close to Earths' moon. Being right in front of them, they now gaped at it in disbelief: Even the tiny amount of energy that leaked through to real-space from Azarath's dimension during Ravens final attack against Trigon had been too much for it. Over a quarter of the moon was gone, simply not there any more. A massive cloud of rubble that hadn't been outright vaporized was spreading slowly up and out into space from the gigantic wound, glowing dull orange from the exposed melted rock remaining.

As the Titans turned to look at Raven they saw a shudder running through her body as another glow, this one a soft pure white, surrounded her. She became indistinct, almost like she was out of focus. As Beastboy, Cyborg, and Robin watched in amazement they saw Raven split into two people as Starfire emerged from Raven.

The two became solid and looking tired but unharmed, Starfire slowly said to them as she recovered somewhat, "We must leave here and return to Earth at once. Raven cannot hold this shield for much longer. If it fails while we are still in space, you will die." Even as she spoke it began to slowly shrink smaller and smaller.

Starfire guided their little sphere of life quickly back to Titans' Tower and landed it on the tower's roof with the Titans now floating a few feet above it suspended in the center of the bubble. After a few seconds of this hanging around, Cyborg asked "Ok. Now what? How do we get outta of here?" As Robin was starting to reply, Raven finally blacked out and the shield was gone. With a collective, "Oof!" from all of them they landed on the roof in a heap.

The titanic release of energy from the joined Raven/Starfire had blasted Azarath to a molten ruin and finally a ball of pure energy that seemed to rip Trigon literally to atoms before he vanished as the dimension of Azarath itself collapsed into itself along with Trigon's prison realm and dissipated into the Void.

Seeing this Raven and Starfire could only believe that Trigon had been utterly destroyed. No one could possibly think otherwise. While Raven knew that he could not 'die' in the way most people thought of, he _could_ be dispersed enough that he should be unable to reshape himself and it looked like his dispersion had been directed into the Void between dimensions - or so she thought.

With all the power of the doomed people of Azarath could gather channeled through Raven and Starfire the two of them and the rest of the Titans had survived. Azarath was gone but the Earth remained. Raven had thought that this realm of Mortals was finally safe and that her part in the Prophecy was really over.

She was wrong.

True, they had stopped him from physically entering the area of the galaxy close to Earth but his essence was _not_ blocked from again entering into this realm - it was only deflected and dispersed to the surrounding outer edges of galaxy - not into the Void - where his Fire Minions had sought them out and nourished them. As the pieces of his being became stronger they began seed other worlds and grow. Like some fell and deadly weed they bloomed and flourished. Over time the individual pieces of Trigons' essence found each other and began to coalesce into one.

When she and Starfire had finally repelled Trigon and destroyed the portal between his prison domain and that of mortals Raven could not know that it had been closed too late.

Trigon lived. His physical avatar had been utterly destroyed and his very non-physical being severely drained of Lifeforce and nearly dispersed beyond recovery but still, he lived.

He had once more made it through to the realm of Mortals where he would rebuild his strength and arise once again in his full terrible glory. While for now he was literally the smallest shadow of himself, that would soon change. His fire minions left behind from his previous attempts to enter this realm had not disappointed him. They had prepared the way for him, destroying star systems and storing their energy for him even while he was delayed. They had been cunning, acting only upon systems on the outer rim of the galaxy to avoid detection from Earth so when Trigon was dispersed to the outer rim they were waiting for him, ready to feed and heal him with the energies they had gathered. As Trigon became reborn he savored one thought: _**"**__**This time no one, not even the Gem, can stop me this time!**__**"**_

One by one the star systems of the galaxy fell as they were literally consumed by the evil force that was Trigon gathering strength so he could reform his being and continue his conquest and destruction of all life once more. One by one, the entire life-force and physical energies of entire planets was gathered and changed within seconds, culminating in a bolt of blackest evil that leaped from the dead husk to strike the next in line until the entire system was nothing but cold and lifeless cinders. Even the stars themselves were not immune. In each system the final onslaught of doom from the growing dark force drained all energy from the star before warping space itself to leap to the next star system on the menu.

Centuries passed. Slowly, ever so slowly, as Trigon was again reshaped he worked his way back towards Earth with but one overriding and all consuming desire that now made even the destruction of all life in all dimensions incidental: "_**Revenge!**__"_ he often thought, "_**Everlasting Revenge against the One who was once a part of me. Everlasting Torment for the One who with the help of that green-eyed female had somehow defied Fate and Prophecy to deny him his purpose once again. The everlasting Destruction of the Gem, His Gem, His daughter. His flesh and blood projection of himself into this domain of mortals - Raven. She had defied him and delayed him three times but she had NOT stopped him! For this insolence she shall suffer throughout Time!**_"

His plan of the destruction of all life in the galaxy was now under way as foretold in the Prophecy. He knew that the Prophecy never specifically mentioned how or when he would accomplish the destruction of everything. He only knew that it _must_ happen and Raven would play a key part in it. Trigon thought to himself, "_**The Gem's part is done. Complex her role may have been, in the end it **_**was**_** she who had brought him through from that prison realm. Instead of one passage it had taken three, but the Gem had fulfilled her purpose when she had become The Portal which allowed him a true foothold into this realm.**_"

Against all his original plans he knew he had to first rebuild his power so for now that pesky area of Earth and his revenge upon Raven would wait. "_**Fine**___" he said, "_**Let them enjoy their insignificant life for now - it will soon be over for them! MY enjoyment of their torment shall be MOST satisfying.**_"

This time the passage from his prison realm into this one had begun far easier - up to the point where the Azar had brought the Gem and her allies to battle him. His Fire Minions that had been left behind from his second attempt to cross had served him well. The Azar were caught totally unaware as they had been watching the route from Trigon's prison to Earth and had no warning that a route had been created to Azarath instead.

_This_ time he had been at full strength when he had come through into Azarath using a different portal, this one created by his Fire Minions and the demon-priests of the Shriva. Once more, both had served him well. Perhaps, for their loyalty he would allow them to be the last to die for him.

Trigon had thought that being already closely linked to Earth, after destroying the Azar the final passage through to the realm of Mortals would be nothing, an insignificant effort. It wasn't.

He gained great satisfaction in the fact that not only had Azarath and all but one of the Azar - Raven - had been destroyed, but even more in that it had been Raven herself with her final attack that did it. The only thing that tempered his pleasure at this twist was the fact that he too had almost been destroyed by her. Almost.

But, he had _not_ been destroyed. Once he had consumed all there was in the rest of this galaxy and was fed by its energy he would be even more powerful than he ever had been before. Then with the power of the entire galaxy's Lifeforce within him he would finish this and deal with her.

He now understood all too well that his first attempt to cross from his prison domain had been doomed to failure because he had tried to circumvent the Prophecy by forcibly taking over Raven body. He had been able to force through only his evil control over her and none of his true essence or Power so it had only been a matter of time before a Protector of this realm defeated her. To him, the absoluteness of the Prophecy had been reinforced when only Raven's body and not her spirit had been destroyed.

After that debacle he took care to let the Prophecy fulfill itself to the letter.

Trigon still puzzled over just how Raven had defeated him the second time and restored the Earth to how it had been before his arrival - her powers _came from him!_ The Power she had unleashed against him had been only slightly less than his, but it was enough, he had been sent back. He had to assume that somehow his second defeat was a part of the Prophecy. After all, he _had_ been able to loose his Fire Minions into this realm where they re-awakened the Shriva and they had in-turn treacherously prepared the way into Azarath for this last crossing. While the Prophecy was absolutely clear about certain key events and its final outcome, it did _not_ spell out what other events would unfold leading up to Trigon's destruction of this realm.

When Raven had been transformed into The Portal all of the dark powers he had placed within her were consumed when it opened. While she had survived the ordeal, all of her powers should have been gone! Maybe some small trace could have remained but what she had used against him was even greater and more to the point, _different_ from what he had given her... Her strength as Raven the White was almost equal to his own before he was diminished by coming through her portal! _Where_ had that Power come from?

Still, he had not been at full strength yet when she and those pesky friends of her's had attacked and he had been thrown back to his prison realm until he again recovered his strength to come back again.

But this last defeat... The power she had thrown against him had been far greater than his own and he was at full-strength! He could not even comprehend any being except another First One even being able to gather much less control such Power and while his Gem may be his child she was definitely _not_ a First One . "_**HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?**__"_ he often thought as the centuries passed.

Trigon knew that Raven had received all the power of the Azar - that ball of blue light that had briefly stopped them in mid-attack had come from them - but much of it had to have been permanently drained by her all-out final onslaught that had destroyed his physical form and spread what was left of him across the far reaches of this galaxy.

Just how she had been able to withstand, much less control and focus that much power he did not yet understand. He knew the green-eyed one had something to do with it because that final blast had _come from both of them merged into one_. No matter. This time he was ready for her, already far far more powerful than he had ever been in his entire existence.

He had chosen well where to begin his attack on the realm of Mortals - this galaxy was a rich feeding ground soon to be fully consumed. When finished here, he would finally have the power needed to leave this galaxy and move onto the next, and then the next and the next. In time this entire Universe with its billions upon billions of other galaxies would he his banquet!

Without the Azar's power for Raven to draw on again and the Life-force of an entire galaxy within him he was almost disappointed at how swift her fall would come.

What he did not know was that the removal of _his_ powers from Raven had left a great emptiness that became filled by the energies of this dimension - and many more. She was not as Trigon thought, just a tool for him to use or 'just' a super-being with incredible but still definable Powers and strengths. Unbeknown to Trigon or herself, Raven was a focal point of all the various forces and energies, good, evil, and indifferent, that filled the Multiverse. Given the knowledge of how to use it and the reason to, there was almost no limit to the power at her disposal or what she was capable of.

Chapter-1

- 500 years later -

As the sun rose bright and clear streaming into their bedroom, Raven awoke next to Starfire and wondered. She stroked Starfires' hair and thought "She is so lovely. Thank you for our lives coming together! All the other Titans are so long gone it sometimes seems a dream that they were real - that we could have had so much, well, _fun_ in such a small amount of time But She is still here with me so the Titans _must_ have been real."

She thought back...

Of all the Titans only Starfire knew from when they first met that like herself, Raven was what most people called almost immortal. Something about the eyes - there is a depth to them that comes only from seeing life for far longer than the rest of the inhabitants of the known realms... Well maybe immortal wasn't exactly the right word but to those like Starfire and Raven a century mattered no more than did a day to their far more mortal friends and acquaintances.

Friends and acquaintances. That is the one problem with what most of the galaxy would consider a very very VERY long life. When you left your own people and traveled to other worlds you always outlived those around you. The heartbreak of watching those you knew and sometimes loved grow old and die while you seemed eternally unchanging eventually drove most long lived beings to a fleeting "tour" amongst the various worlds that populated the galaxy, never staying long enough for anyone to realize what you are.

Some would seek extreme solitude and cold detachment from the close company of other beings who were so ephemeral. Long periods of deeply introverted "detachment" lasting centuries was not uncommon, some called it deep total meditation, others might say insanity, but it _did_ help pass the time... When the lifetime of civilizations and sometimes even entire races paled to yours boredom could become a very serious issue.

Aside from one's own race it was far too rare to come across another with whom you could share the wonders of the Multiverse and all it had to offer. Even if one did, even rarer that you would be as closely matched in life-experience age as were she and Starfire. Raven thought for a bit; including the Tamaranians, how many other immortal, near immortal or even just what most would call _extremely_ long-lived races had the Azar ever found throughout the known dimensions inhabited by intelligent beings - 12? 13, if you included Trigon although he was the only one of his kind still in the Multiverse - he had made sure of that far back in the beginnings of Time itself.

The other Titans had found out about the Tamaranian life-cycle when Starfire had been summoned to Tamaran by Blackfire for her second arraigned "marriage". They were more than dumbfounded to find out that by their reckoning Starfire was almost 479 Earth-years old and barring being killed by massive accident or very determined and powerful intention could easily live for at least twenty thousand more!

When Starfire first met the Titans she said was 17 when Robin asked her about her age and they assumed 17 Earth years. Why not? She looks it. After that, the matter never came up again. Starfire had meant 17 _Tamaranian _years and since one Tamaranian solar-cycle is a little over 28 Earth years... One thing that Star had _not _told them about was her earlier life on Tamaran and why she had never visited there while being with the Titans - that was none of their concern and was something she would settle herself in the future.

As the years on Earth progressed try as they did (Bless their spirits!) it became harder and harder for the Titans to really accept being around Starfire and Raven. Their friends could see their own mortality looming closer and closer while she and Star remained changeless. When Cyborg, the last of the original Titans passed on at what was for Humans a "ripe old age" of 112, Starfire and Raven vowed together to never again stay so close to any other mortals again. "Ripe old age" huh, - it may be that to many of the Multiverse's' life forms but was not even equal to a decade to Stars' and even far less in Ravens' lifespans.

Maybe sometime in the future they might change their minds but for now, with Azarath gone and what happened to Starfire and her "situation" on Tamaran, there would only be the 2 of them to share Life and Love. While Raven may still far outlive Starfire, for now this was good. As for the vast difference in lifespan that lay between Raven and Starfire - that would be for the future to decide. If needed there were spells Raven could use to quite easily slow Starfires' already glacial aging to match hers but both of them already suspected that it would not be necessary.

Along with all of their power and knowledge the two of them felt that the Azar also gave Starfire a gift for her to share with Raven: A gift of an even more vastly extended life so she could always be with Raven to help keep her sane.

On top of that was an unsettling sense of something else that they had yet to put their finger on. A feeling that together they also had a Purpose, a reason for being with each other as the Right People, in the Right Place, at the Right Time. For what - they had no idea.

As Raven got up to find some breakfast and herb tea she cupped one of Starfires' warm, firm breasts in her hand, planted a quick kiss on her forehead and was struck by a sense of foreboding. She jerked back - something was wrong. Something about her coming Birthday.

Just then Starfires lovely emerald green eyes fluttered open. "Mmm. Good morning my love" she said. "Is it not another lovely day?" Raven recovered and said, "Yes my sweet, it is. I'm just going to find some breakfast. See you in a little bit?" With that she gave Star another quick kiss and headed to the kitchen.

As she rummaged through the "Blue Furries in the refrigerator" as Starfire had named them she began to think. Since the destruction of Azarath and her father Trigon, Raven had hardly given the subject of her birthdays a second thought. The ones that had followed his destruction were uneventful. In Azar time this would be her 10th birthday: Being all there was in its pocket dimension Azarath had no star and the sky was perpetually softly lit by the light of the Multiverse. Even though it was truly timeless in the celestial sense the Azar did measure time and assign it cycles. Their equivalent to a "year" being exactly 100 years on Earth.

When had Slade returned as Trigons' servant just before her 5th birthday to deliver his masters message and begin The Prophecy the Titans didn't know know her "age" in their Earth's reckoning. Even afterwards, the topic just never came up. They just assumed that since she looks it, she was about their age. How could they know that she had looked like this since she was A0.2 and normally would have stayed pretty much the same until she was at least A1,000: over 100,000 years in Earth terms. Her first premature "death" caused by Trigon had changed that and now as an Avatar her appearance was strictly up to how she wanted to appear.

Beyond that the beings of Azarath typically stayed around until at least A2,000 before they felt ready to leave this mortal plane and move though the Metrion-Zinthos to the next. Even then, they "age quite gracefully" as they would say here on Earth. Azarella herself, the first of their race had been the oldest of them ever and had lived to A5,000 before she Moved On, even then would have easily passed for around "35-ish" on Earth.

Hell, her favorite mentor in Azarath had been A3,000 and often told her he was certainly not about leave yet. He still had far too much to see and do.

Damn! He and her people would still be here if it hadn't been for that cursed cult bringing a part of Trigon through to this realm where he raped her mother Arella, leading to her birth and that damned Prophecy... Another cold wave swept over her as she thought about that.

Trigon. The Prophecy.

No, she told herself. That can't be right. He's gone! Blasted into non-existence into the Abyss between the dimensions!

Chapter-2

A little while later Starfire came down and joined Raven for breakfast. She had found the fixings for one of her and Stars' favorites, waffles or "The small round checkerboards with little blue non-furry berries in sticky sweet syrup" as Star called them. Raven had gotten better at cooking over the centuries - these were actually pretty good. Again she thought back to when Trigon first come into this realm through The Portal - her.

She knew that it had been coming. On the day it began she had tried her best to make her friends happy, to let them enjoy their last day, and thought making breakfast for them would be a good start. She had made pancakes and they didn't exactly come out quite right. Ok, she thought. They were were a disaster. To Robin, BB, and Cyborg they were inedible. Only Star with her - well, odd - sense of taste ate them. Hell, she thoroughly enjoyed them.

How had Star put it as she devoured them? Ah yes; "What a glorious feast! Like incinerated Glortachk roaches from my home world! Crispy outside and runny on the inside. Delicious!" On went the mustard and down they went by the pound. Starfire could be a bit frightening when she started tearing into a meal...

Starfire noticed that Raven seem troubled. "For why do you seem - distant?" she said. Is it about your coming birthday next year? There is no reason for the gloomies. You know that the Prophecy is finished. Trigon has not been seen or heard from anywhere since we last battled him."

Raven sighed. "I know that. I felt his prison domain collapse into the Void along with his body and all of Azarath. We saw him die - well, such as he can. But I sense, well... something. Something - bad. Something _very_ bad. You know we haven't checked more than the first few hundred light-years around Earth. What if..." Then she fell silent and ate a few more bites. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of Trigon actually still surviving in this realm. She knew what that would mean.

Starfire seemed pensive as she ate and then suddenly brightened. "I know! Why do we not leave this planet and travel the galaxy for awhile? What few evil villains that remain on this planet are easily handled by this worlds native Heroes. For so long most of the evil doers have been so, how do they say - lame? - that we have not been needed for many centuries.

You know this world has not been, um, comfortable with us since witnessing their own near-destruction by your father and the energies we unleashed against him. They feel that we are far too - dangerous. Perhaps it is time for us to leave this place. Let us travel together and see the wonders of this galaxy and beyond. Let us travel though the Multiverses' furthest reaches to prove your father is gone and its peoples are safe. I think we have been on Earth for far too long. There is nothing new for us here."

Starfire was right! Leave it to her to crystallize and state what had been troubling Raven for the past few centuries here. It _was_ time to go. They probably should have left just after Cyborg died. Since his passing she and Star had never "connected" with any of this planets other Heroes - of course then again neither she or Starfire had really tried - and neither had any of Earth's Heroes.

Raven knew that witnessing what was actually only the tiniest aftermath of the battle with Trigon that leaked through to this dimension had badly scared the Earth people. Sure, a large chunk of the moon was gone and they had yet to fully rebuild the communication networks that had kept these people mindlessly entertained until debris from the moon had smashed nearly every single satellite but that was only a lingering reminder of what had happened.

More than that, seeing the entire sky ablaze with the powers unleashed by Raven/Starfire and Trigon _should_ scare the crap out of them. But no one from Earth had died and aside from Robin, BB, and Cyborg, no one from Earth was even scratched. For days after the battle as Raven lay in deepest meditation healing herself Starfire had made sure that no pieces of the moon large enough to do any real damage hit the Earth by vaporizing or deflecting them with her now tremendously augmented starbolts.

But did the people of Earth ever thank them or the Titans for saving their short-lived skins?

No. Feeling and acting as one for the first time in their history, as an entire race the Humans threw an infantile tantrum about 'Dangerous Aliens'. How ironic that the first thing this entire planet had ever agreed upon was also the stupidest they could have picked.

Raven and Starfire could easily sweep the remaining moon rubble from earth-space but with how the Humans had become, these people would just use _that_ as another example of the 'threat all aliens posed' and probably try to force them to leave as they already had all others.

Since the Humans had no memory of the first battle with Trigon - the planet and all on it had been obliterated by him - neither Raven or Starfire expected the Humans to be grateful for saving their hides that time. After all, until Raven-the-White forced Trigon to flee back to his prison realm and restored the Earth to as it was before he came here, except for the Titans whom she had protected all life on the entire planet had been killed within seconds.

When she restored the planet and its people she placed them at the instant before they were destroyed with no memory of their destruction. This second battle however had been witnessed by the entire planet. They had only to look in the night sky to be reminded of it - Earth now had a thin ring around it and a broken moon loomed in the sky.

More than ever their minds and eyes became closed against What Could Be. All they did was build 'defenses' against 'The Outside and Outsiders"'as the Earth people now called anything and anyone not from Earth.

Yeah right. Like anything or anyone native to this planet could stop a warship from any race capable of crossing the stars much less beings like Raven or Starfire had they cared to have their way with this lovely little blue planet.

In the first few decades after the battle the people of Earth had shot at and even damaged several small alien craft visiting the planet but luckily to the other races of this galaxy that only reinforced the overall belief that this world was so backward that they should just be left alone until they learned better.

Hmm. Even after word had gotten out that aliens were not welcome on Earth, ships had still entered Earthspace at least once a year either by accident or intent but soon left when it became clear that they were not welcome. Now that Raven thought about it, it had been centuries since any alien ships had been spotted. Odd.

Starfire was also right about being 'dangerous'. Even after the unleashing the immense energies needed to defeat Trigon, both Raven and Starfires' abilities still remained pushed to heights neither had thought could ever be possible. Well, maybe she had thought about it, but not Star...

Both of them constantly had to be careful to use only the slightest fraction of their powers when fighting villains for fear of causing massive damage to the surrounding areas - this was the major reason the rest of the planets 'Super Heroes' shunned them.

For Raven it was even harder because her powers are driven directly by her emotions and if she got carried away when fighting evildoers the consequences could be – had been – disastrous.

Even so, battle wasn't so much the problem - making love with Starfire was. She always had to keep tight control of herself to prevent another catastrophe like happened on Mars. Raven grinned a little as she remembered it; She had often told Star how she wished that just once she could really let-go when making love with her and one time Starfire had suggested popping over to Mars to 'eat out'.

It was uninhabited, far enough away, and Star had often said it reminded her of a 'giant red beach without water'. At the time it sounded good so off they went.

They had been having a grand time with each other until Raven let an orgasm really get the better of her. She had been experimenting with just how far she could let go of her emotions and after several climaxes each more powerful that the last she finally went too far. Talk about The Big Bang!

Mars was nearly torn asunder with a very large piece of it gone. Starfire survived unhurt only because she was enveloped within Ravens Avatar during the release. Oops.

At least the Earth people had no idea about _that _little demonstration. They thought that a rouge asteroid had collided with Mars. Frankly, with her powers now fully awakened and the nearly unlimited power given to her by her entire race as they perished, what she was capable of terrified her.

Then she smiled and said to Starfire, "Hmm, while we're in space maybe we can find a nice colorful romantic nebulae with no planets in it and try really letting go again... With no other life around for light years we could REALLY have some fun!" Starfire beamed at that suggestion.

Raven knew that at least some of the Earthers were truly good people with open minds and eager to learn but taken as a whole - they were little more than self-centered mean-spirited children with the attention span of a nymph. Even after the planet was nearly destroyed they still to this day wage war amongst themselves! Truly dangerous villains when they arise and are caught just went to prison for a bit and are then released to carry on where they left off. Idiots! They just-don't-get-it.

At one time both she and Starfire thought this world had promise, that they might yet realize there is so much more to life than what can be seen around you by your eyes and touched by your hands. Unfortunately, those with rigidly closed minds were gaining control and the dreamers were losing. Of all the idiotic things for the planets rulers to stay focused on it was their distrust of 'The Outside'.

How depressing. These people may yet reach their full potential, but at this rate it would not be for many many more millennia into the future.

"Starfire my Love, you're right." Raven said. "There's nothing for us here anymore. Let's just get away from this place." Suddenly, she grinned. "Isn't there a little, ah, 'issue' that you need to take care of on Tamaran? I think that with your increased power you just might give them a little surprise..."

For the first time, Starfire giggled about the idea of returning to her home world. "A most excellent idea Raven!" she exclaimed. "My parents Myand'r and Luand'r along with my sister Blackfire and the others who helped them shall pay dearly for what they did to me."

She felt growing anger as she continued, "You know that as King and Queen of the Northern Tribes my parents "married" me off to gain favor with the Southern Tribes."

Starfire was on a roll now, " a _marriage_ it was NOT!" she spat out. "I was simply given to Karras for political alliance and to settle the splitting of profits from a disputed farming valley. They knew full well that the Southern Tribe rules only by conquest. For my parents to give me to Karras and his followers could be seen by them only as an admission of conquest by the Southern Tribe.

By their traditions, all major conquests by the Southern Tribe are to be confirmed by the rape of the losing tribes princess by their leader Karras and his closest warriors. It was only because they were passed out, drunk and spent after the ceremony that I was able to escape them and flee Tamaran. Oh that I had the strength to slay them then and there, but after their 'ceremony' I was still heavily drugged and could not."

A cold green fury glowed in her eyes as she proclaimed "Karras of the Southern Tribe with their Altar of Conquest - rape me again they shall NOT! I am NOT a war prize - my parents did not even try to lead our people to fight them. Blackfire connived with them to convince others that it would be easier to give me to Karras than fight some 'useless battle over an insignificant issue' as she had put it."

With a voice of cold rage Starfire finished, "So. An 'insignificant issue' means more than to them than their daughter. I think NOT! When I am through with them there will not even be a stain on the rocks where they stood. Until now my only consolation had been that Blackfire later killed our parents to keep Karras from attacking her - and our people - after my escape. Blackfire, Karras and those who remain allied with you, I promise you now Tamaran shall be freed from your evil grasp!"

Chapter-3

Finally fully reformed, Trigon gloated. That last system who's energy he had just absorbed completed him! "_**Soon, soon the time shall be right for me to strike the final blow against my Gem. She shall be shattered as was I. Shattered to countless fragments yet kept alive to watch and know of my work but powerless to stop me as I destroy all other life in this realm. This galaxy is but the first to fall. With the power I gather from it I will be ready to spread myself across the entire Universe and draw it all onto me!**_

_**This system I just absorbed was home to green-eyed ones like the female who aided my Gem. Their power was far greater than I would have thought possible for mere purely physical beings - they actually were able to resist my first attack. But still - they have fallen and added their strength to my own. The great power I've drawn from them has made me whole again!**_

_**But... something also seems - familiar - to its nature. I still do not know how that female of those people aided Raven - her races powers were less that of even a child from Azarath and they knew only of its physical application for flight and surprising strength. Of them all only 1 - another female, this one with red eyes - could use energy bolts such as I saw come from the green-eyed one and those from the red-eyed one were feeble in comparison. No matter. At least my score with my daughter's green-eyed allies is done**_.

_**First, to finish with these few hundred star systems left and then all that remains is Sol with that sickening little blue and white world full of life that my Gem thought so special. Well, she shall watch it be slowly consumed by me, this time one life at a time and when I am through it's cold dead husk shall be reduced to dust. After that, she shall be contained and brought with me to watch helpless as I destroy ALL life in this realm of mortals!**_"

With that thought Trigon allowed himself a few deep booming laughs and was off to finish his destruction.

Chapter-4

After spending far more time than it should have taken, Raven and Starfire had finally converted what this planet called their "money" into some provisions along with more permanent and near universally tangible trade items to take care of paying for lodging - metals and gemstones. While they physically did not really need to eat and drink or for that matter even breathe, they did enjoy it.

It may be handy to gain sustenance directly from the energy of the Multiverse, but as even the most backward mortal races know there is more to eating and drinking than just the intake of food and fluids to live. It is something that can be savored, a delight to the senses and spirit.

Some of the conversions brought strange glances from traders but hey, if someone wants to buy 2,000 pounds of frozen pizza and 500 gallons of wine - along with 2 tons of scrap iron, over half a ton of blue sapphires and other precious stones - all at far above premium prices - they weren't going to argue.

Even them being infamous Outsiders - Aliens - hadn't really been a problem. It delayed things a bit but once the traders stopped their protesting about their 'risk in helping them with these suspicious purchases' and asked for an additional 'commission to help grease the wheels' all the problems mysteriously went away.

Raven and Starfire had expected that. Risk - right. The risk of getting more money is more like it. This just reinforced Starfire and Ravens' opinion about just how morally screwed up this world had become.

Back at the tower as Raven and Starfire gathered what they wished to bring with them it struck both almost at the same time just how funny the idea of 'packing' was. Here they were preparing to leave this planet and its memories behind and what were they doing? Purposely bringing items with them that brought back memories.

It was the giant stuffed chicken that Beast Boy had won for Raven at a carnival that did it. As she levitated it to her trunk she started giggling. Of course the trunk was actually a pocket dimension that could hold a whole planet if they wanted. It already held all their supplies for the trip and the trunk itself would then go into one of the stones (another pocket dimension) on the belt Raven wore -.

Starfire heard her giggle and looked up to see Raven almost rolling on the floor trying her best to contain herself. Seeing a giant chicken floating in the air toward an impossibly small trunk and Raven actually now actually laughing was too much for her. Starfire also started giggling and soon both were laughing and started telling each other stories reliving some of the more special memories attached to each item as they were placed into Ravens' trunk.

"Ah, Beast Boy" Starfire said. "Was he not at times 'hung as a horse' as they say here? And when he did 'The Face!' -- I can still almost feel his little kitten tongue licking my grebnosh" she said as she slid her hand under her skirt and gave it a few little flicks with her fingers while remembering.

"Mmmm. Tempting. But, not helping" Raven said as she watched Starfire. As she gently removed Starfires hand from between her legs and gave Stars' fingers a few licks she said "we really need to get this done."

More than a few items also brought more sobering and painful memories such as Robins' Birdarang. Robin could be quite inventive when it came to "toys..." Solemnly they remembered how he had fought and went out literally in a blaze of glory as Brother Blood annihilated him with a massive energy blast that ended up not only killing Robin but also set off the energy core to Brother Blood's fourth (and last, as he also died) school.

What with the stories and all, by the time almost all was picked through and packed they were both a bit tired and definitely more than a little horny. They decided to call it a night and retire to their bedroom and start up again from where they had left off when Starfire started had thinking about BB earlier. Afterwards as they lay together in the comfort of each others arms , their bodies intertwined, they drifted off to sleep and dreamed...

Chapter-5

Raven tossed fitfully in her sleep. Darkness. Everywhere Raven looked she saw nothing. No stars burning brightly, no planets filled with life, reflecting the light from their surfaces - nothing. She moved to where there _should _ be a people they had visited before and found a cold cloud of gas and rubble where their star should be. She dropped down to a nearby planet and found it a cold dead cinder. Even its core was cold as space itself. Another and another and another star system she searched and always it was the same.

Then it hit her and she cried out - Starfire! Where was she? She could not feel their mental bond anymore! How - _when _- had they become separated? Raven stretched out her mind to its limits. There. I've found her! But why is she so faint? Raven's black bird Avatar swept through the galaxy and came upon Starfires' burnt and broken body floating nearly lifeless in an utterly empty region that used to be a nebulae that spanned light-years across. Raven enveloped Starfire into her bird Avatar to try to heal her and fled with her inside of her. She didn't know where she was going with Starfire, just - away from there. In the distant background Raven heard laughter. Deep booming laughter. The all too familiar deep booming laughter of her father Trigon when he has been quite amused by someone's' or some thing's' suffering.

"NO!" Raven screamed as she snapped awake.

"A dream. It was just a dream, that's all. Trigon is DEAD!" she mentally screamed. Raven looked over to Starfire was also apparently not having the best of dreams either when she too bolted upright with a scream, and now wide awake.

Starfire had been Home again. "Home". The word meant only anger and humiliation to her. She had come for revenge against her sister Blackfire, Karras the leader of the Southern Tribe, and all who had helped them in the selling and raping of her to settle a "minor squabble". She wanted to make her world peaceful again - well, at least stop the major factions from real war and go back to the Games to settle their disputes.

Well she was back and her planet was peaceful. The peace of the grave. Nowhere was the lovely warm tan and purple plains and mountains, only a cold black and blasted wasteland. The very mountains looked as though they had melted into planet. Everywhere she searched it was the same - no life to be seen. Not only no life, but no bodies either. What had happened here? For now, all thoughts of revenge were gone as it looked to her that someone or something had made pretty sure it no longer mattered. Starfire traveled to where her parents castle should be and found only broken stumps remaining of the soaring towers that used to be so beautiful.

In the remains of what used to be the main tower Starfire found a crack leading to its lower levels. She went inside to see if she might at least find a clue to what happened to her people, maybe in the deeper vaults something survived what ever happened here. As Starfire worked her way down she thought about her people.

Overall, her race was a good people. Raven had once told her that as far as she knew that was a prerequisite for any long-lived race. Too many bad traits leads to short lives and extinction. They were powerful, proud, fierce, and drank deeply of life, yes. But not randomly warlike. They used to have a strict code of what should be expected of you. Violate the codes and disputes would be settled in the Games one-on-one. If you won that was it. If you lost, well death was not unusual. There were no state-sponsored "wars" as there are on so many other worlds - especially Earth. For the larger disputes on Tamaran depending on the seriousness of the issue each side chose a small team of 5 to 10 warriors and together they did battle against the other sides team, last side standing wins the dispute, case closed.

Unfortunately as in all civilizations from time to time rulers crop up that have more concerns about building and using their political power than they do about what is best for their subjects. Starfires' parents were such rulers. They paid the price for their arrogant greed when their other daughter Blackfire assassinated them at Karras's bidding after Starfire had escaped from him at the Altar of Conquest.

Her sister had always said that Starfire did not deserve to Rule because she didn't understand about Power. Power to control not only one's own destiny but also that of others. She constantly berated Starfire what Blackfire called her weak and idealistic views of leadership.

"You and your 'they are good people who just need to be guided properly' and 'we as rulers are responsible for the people'. HAH! What a weak chlorbag you are! The masses don't know how or want to take care of what needs to be done. They must be ordered to do it whether or not they like it!" Blackfire often shouted at her.

Well, from the looks of things so far the power her sister craved hadn't help her one bit.

Starfire found the main records vault fairly intact but with no energy to power the viewers they were useless. The vault had survived only because it was on the lowest level of the castle. As she was leaving it she noticed a statue of two people embracing in a far corner. Statue? Why would there be one down here? Starfire went over to see it and as she got closer she stopped. The statue was of Blackfire and Karras! She looked closer -- no, the two figures were not a statue, they _were_ Blackfire and Karras! Or at least, had been. Now they were transformed into a crumbly grey rock like decomposed granite, a frozen tableau of pain.

??? Just _what_ had happened here? The only thing that Starfire knew that could do this was an life-draining blast from Trigon but, that couldn't be right!

Amid her puzzlement of just what had happened to her mortal enemies, seeing them renewed her blood anger. Blackfire and Karras may be dead but their bodies are still here. I may not have the revenge I deserve but I _can_ do THIS!

With that she let loose a rain of starbolts that obliterated the turned-to-statue bodies of her evil sister and rapist cohort to dust. Unfortunately her rain of destruction was too much for the remains of the tower and it began to collapse upon her. As its roof fell and struck her she screamed.

"YEEEK!"

Starfire awoke sitting upright and trembling. She saw Raven was also awake and looking concerned at her. Raven! I have had a most bad of the bad-dreams! Your father... I... I think he is alive!

Chapter-6

Looking even more troubled Raven said, "I know, I also dreamed of him - and more." She did _not _ say that "more" included finding Starfire floating in space just this side of death. "Remember when we fought and defeated my father when he transformed me into the Portal that brought him through? Just before I sent him back to his prison realm he had torn open a portal in the sky and sent some of his fire minions through it. They were what he used to return this last time. Like some kind of infection they must have influenced some other race into creating the second portal. Maybe they are still here."

"Until now I had forgotten about that" Starfire said. "But I am puzzled. After we again defeated Trigon we searched throughout the nearest stars and found no trace of those fire beings. If they were still here would they not be close to where Trigon again tried to enter this realm?"

Raven thought about it - "maybe they _were_ nearby. Remember when we checked planet P3856? At one time it was full of life with a rather violent race on it but when we checked it after fighting Trigon we found the planet a molten ruin. I think that maybe those fire demons somehow fused with the inhabitants and used the energies they gained to open that second portal.

We wanted to leave this planet and now more than ever we need to search the galaxy for any traces of my father and his followers. Get your clothes on Star, we've got to move." As soon as she had put on her jeweled belt Raven activated one of the gemstones on it - another pocket dimension like her trunk -- and with a small quick blue flash from the jewel the trunk they packed the night before went into it.

"Everything we need is packed and all that remains is for us to destroy Titans' Tower - there are far too many dangerous things here to risk anyone on this planet getting in here and taking them."

Starfire looked dismayed. "Raven, I know that we are never returning here again but _must_ we destroy our home? Can you not just raise a barrier to prevent anyone from entering it?"

"I could but there is no way to be sure that in the future a way to penetrate it isn't found." Raven could see that Starfire was heartbroken at the thought of their home for the past few centuries being destroyed and she too would sorely miss it.

She thought for a second. "You know what? We've already prepared so many things to take with us, why not just take the tower too? My transport jewel can easily carry it for us. Somewhere else we might find another place to call Home for a time and it _would_ be nice to have a ready made place to live... I'm just glad we packed most of what we might need separately. I wouldn't want to have to unpack the entire Tower each time we wanted some pizza!"

Starfire was overjoyed: "Oh yes! Yes! That would be so very nice!"

With that settled Raven said, "Are you ready?" Raven and Starfire assumed the lotus position and joined hands. Raven's eyes glowed white as she began the chants: "First to take care of the tower. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A protective black sphere formed around both her and Starfire. That done she continued, "Ararath Lentus Temporis MIKROS! Causa Converto Rasearth Defendo."

To those outside who saw it, crackling bolts of energy began to surround Titans' Tower as it began to shimmer and fade out. The bolts of blue energy grew larger and then joined together into a solid sheet that completely enveloped it. Suddenly, an blinding bright eldritch blue light burst forth and the tower vanished leaving only a hole in the ground where it stood and a small black sphere floating in the air. An immense thunder clap rolled across the city startling all who heard it as the air rushed in to fill the void left where Titans' Tower once stood. Windows in the city near to where the tower used to be in the bay shattered from the concussion.

To Starfire and Raven, all they saw was the tower becoming transparent. From the transport jewel on Ravens' belt burst forth a brilliant blue light and the tower vanished from around them leaving only the two of them floating in the air where their bedroom and Home once was. There was a slight buffeting and they heard a distant rumble from the air rushing to fill area where the tower had been but that was all that made it through Ravens' shield.

With a nod of her head Raven dispersed the shield that had surrounded them. She giggled and gave Starfire a wide grin which surprised Starfire until she looked into Ravens mind to see what she was up to. Starfire gave a grin and giggle back when she saw what else Raven had done.

"That's done (giggle). Where to first?" Raven asked. Starfire replied "I think we should still first try my home world Tamaran. I hope beyond hope that my dream was not true and must find out. How shall we be traveling there, in your bird Avatar?

Raven composed herself and said, "No. My raven Avatar is good for undefined traveling and looking around but I think direct transport to Tamaran using a portal will be better." Raven began a second chant in a low and slow voice " Azarath Metrion Zinnnnthos." Now Starfires' eyes also grew wide and glowed - hers brilliant green- as she was joined with Raven to pass through the trans-space portal. A glowing pentagram appeared beneath them. Shimmering lights of all colors flowed through the designs and began to dance in entrancing rhythms, pulsing brighter and brighter.

Again she spoke, now in her normal pitch, louder and firmly; "Tracos Rexar Portus. Heldritch Sekos, Transio! Transio! MORTIE!" A dark rift rimmed with blazing red fire appeared above them. Actinic tongues of blue-white light from the pentacle surrounded them and began stretching towards the rift. "Transeic, Transeic, MORADDA!"

In a final burst of light Raven and Starfire flowed through the rift and began their journey through non-space to Tamaran. With that, the last of the First and True Teen Titans left the Earth, never to return again.

Chapter-7

Eventually, the current 'protectors' of the city along with its true legal authorities and the press arrived to where Titans Tower had once stood. Shocked at the sight of the rocky little island now minus the Tower that had been there for over 500 years they were baffled as to just what it meant. Since the two Aliens living in it pretty much stayed to themselves they had been tolerated by the city's' authorities and citizens. Most had thought, "If they still want to stay on Earth even though we really prefer they went away, well, as long as they don't cause any more trouble, fine. And, after all _if_ the legends are true at one time they were part of the best team of Protectors the city had ever known, even being _Aliens_ and all..."

Giving in to Human nature people soon wandered to the edge of the huge hole in the center of the island and looked down into it.

The first impression most people had was," Yep. Sure is a BIG hole. Must be at least 300 feet deep! Hmm, seems to be some sort of pile of rocks or something left down in the middle on the bottom..."

Their reaction soon turned to puzzlement and then outrage as they finally made out just what the object on the bottom of the hole was. Even more astonishing, just then the object was covered in a black sheen that rapidly spread out from it to cover the surface of the entire island beneath their very feet. The ground began to tremble and the bottom of the hole along with the object on it _began to rise up!_ When the earth had stopped shaking a full thirty seconds later, the hole was gone and the tiny island where Titans' Tower had stood had a new glistening black landmark for all the city to see.

The Press loved it. As they went on the air with it live and zoomed-in to fill the vid screens with pictures of it rising, they thought to themselves,"This is GREAT! Just think of the headlines: **"**Titans' Tower vanishes leaving huge hole! Dangerous ungrateful Aliens show their true colors! Buildings damaged and scores of people injured! Huge hole disappears and insulting statue rises! Defiant statue makes authorities wonder just what was in ancient tower! Angry citizens demand investigation as to why dangerous Aliens were allowed to remain on Earth! Details at eleven.**"** They were overjoyed, "Yessiree, we and the mindless masses going to have something to talk about for _months_!"

As a parting gesture reflecting just how both she and Starfire now felt about the people of Earth, Raven had left them a little gift when she "packed up" Titans' Tower to take with them: She thought a simple statue would do the trick. A statue of an up-thrust arm and hand. On the hand all fingers but one were curled over into a fist with it's middle finger defiantly raised straight up to the sky. One hundred feet tall from ground to finger tip Raven thought it perfectly expressed their feelings about how the attitudes of Earths people had changed. For the proper effect, she had used a special spell triggered by the presence of a good sized crowd of people on the island to dramatically raise their parting gift for all to see. The trigger spell also released a shield spell to protect their "gift" from being knocked down. Barring them using a nuclear device to destroy it, the city should have their new monument for at least several hundred years before the shield dissipated.

Chapter-8

Raven was half way through the transit spell when all other thoughts cleared from Starfires' mind and she saw Tamaran as it had been when she was last there. This was followed by the odd sensation much like being slurped through a straw as they entered the portal.

Hand in hand Starfire and Raven traveled into the non-space between Earth and Tamaran. This time as they had entered the portal they saw that something was wrong - very wrong. All the other times they had traveled like this the way was glorious. The first few seconds had been normal and then - this. The Void should have been ablaze with multi-colored streaks, clouds, curtains of light and other radiation's leaking in from the galaxy as it flew by and yet all they saw were occasional faint glimmers set in an ominous gray background sometimes punctuated by completely black streaks every now and then. As they approached Tamaran their terminus should have been a brilliant purple disk of light and was instead a dark red spot reminiscent of old blood.

Starfire was the first to speak, "Raven, what has happened? Why is the way so - gloomy? This is not at all like any of the journeys we have made together through the galaxy before."

"I know" Raven said. "Be ready for anything when we come out of the portal. I have a bad feeling about this..."

As they appeared on Tamaran they were on the defense with Raven projecting her black shield around them and Starfire fully lit up for battle as they immediately flew up several hundred feet and then stopped to look around. Deep vacuum, utter darkness and a cold as cold as space itself greeted them. Raven knew they were really on Tamaran but they could see nothing. "We need some light" she said as she created a dazzling ball of brilliant white light and fired it into the sky. It illuminated a sizable area and they looked around aghast at what was below them. Utter devastation surrounded them and from what they saw they knew only one being could or _would _ do this.

Trigon was alive and had been here.

What Trigon had tried to do on Earth he had succeeded with here. As far as they could see Starfires' home was a cold dead ruin. Once mighty soaring towers made of adamantium had been reduced to broken and melted stumps. The mountains that had once partly surrounded Starfires' family castle were gone - literally melted into vast plains of now cold hard lava covered with a thin snowy layer of frozen out atmosphere that stretched as far as they could see. The planet itself was now cold as space and even its rotation had been stopped. As well as all life energy on the planet, all other energy - thermal, kinetic, and what have you - had been sucked from it too when Trigon had departed.

Starfire cried: "Raven, this is _not_ as I had dreamed - it is far far worse. My people! Did you even know what was happening? Were you at least able to fight for a time?" With that she broke down and wept, her tears instantly freezing and falling to the ground to silently shatter on the rocks below. They both knew that there was no point in searching the planet for anyone or any records. Trigons' attacks would have melted the surface of the planet to a depth of many miles before he finished it off by drawing all energies from the planet into himself leaving it this lifeless husk before them.

They both rose out into space above the planet and found even Tamarans' star was a dead cinder drained of all energy. Raven spread her mind across the entire system and saw the same everywhere. An entire star system - dead! As she focused her attention back to Starfire and herself, sounding rather alarmed Starfire said, "Raven, what is wrong with the stars? There are many - missing... Over there should be the constellation of Norok the Eater but her "plate" is half gone! And there - Roshro the Drinker is missing his head!"

Raven asked her, "Starfire, do you know just how far from here those missing stars are - were?" She thought for a moment, "Most were quite close, the farthest was the distance light travels in 3 Tamaranian-years" Starfire replied.

A chill not from the lack of warmth around them swept though Raven. "My father has been busy" she grimly said. "We need to check throughout the galaxy to see what he has done and where he has been. Then maybe we can find him before he reaches Earth."

"Raven, and when we find Trigon - what then?" Starfire quietly asked, fearful of what the answer must be. "We fight him. We destroy him once and for all or be destroyed ourselves. Together we are the only ones who stand a chance of doing it" Raven replied. "What he is doing here in this galaxy is only the beginning. Now that he is free he will absorb all life and energy from this galaxy and then move on to the others. Galaxy after galaxy will be drained until this entire realm is his. After that, with so much power at his disposal the entire Multiverse may be at risk. We MUST stop him!

Chapter-9

Initially they began the search for Trigon by using portals to travel to the furthest reaches of the galaxy that Raven been to before while being instructed by her mentors on Azarath. While they journeyed through the Void Starfire's mind wandered as she reflected on just how handy portal travel was; any other way of travel - even using Ravens' bird Avatar - was far slower when it came to going from point-A to point-B.

After Raven took her through one for the first time, she asked Raven to explain it to her. Raven told her that on Earth they called a transit portal a 'wormhole'. Apparently Humans considered space to be curved much like a round fruit with 'space' being the outside or skin of the fruit. A portal such as this was much like the hole a worm would make when eating through the fruit from one side to the other - a shortcut to the other side. An overly simple idea at best but close enough given their limited understanding of the Multiverse.

Raven had said that it was too bad they never yet thought about what the 'inside' just might be and how to get to it. It would rid them of the silly notion that the 'speed of light' was an unbreakable speed limit or barrier. Yes it was a speed limit - IF you stayed as a solid entity with mass OR if you stayed _within_ any given Universe. If you transform to something without mass - like her bird Avatar - or _leave_ your Universe for a bit as some races did by warping local space with technology to bend the rules, then all bets are off. Then again, few races ever figured it out, which was actually for the best. Having the populations of millions of races popping in and out at will everywhere in the galaxy much less the Multiverse would be Chaos.

The way Raven had described it was that there is no inside to the apple. What lay in the way between 'here and there' was the entire Multiverse itself. Unseen, undetectable, but still very much there are the thousands of dimensions or 'Parallel Universes' as some called them that make up the 13 realms of the Multiverse. Some big, some small, some almost identical to others - eerily down to the very beings populating it - and some very very different.

Instead of a solid fruit with a skin and something in the middle it was more like a plate of spaghetti with each Universe being just one strand all tangled up with the others. Physically moving in space in what seemed to be a straight line only moved you up and down the strand with all its twists and turns unknown to the traveler because they never leave the strand and are aware of nothing else.

Transit portals did not create a connection between two points - _they_ _are_ _both points at the same time_. What's more transit portals could not be created at random: the traveler had to know the other end. 'Know' as in having been there before either physically or mentally. That need for previous presence was one of the keys to portal travel. One did not 'travel' in any real sense as much as they just left one location and were then in the other. There is an in-between transit area the Azar called the Void - and there isn't. Opening a portal into the Void without a destination was opening a door to suicide. If you entered it without a place to leave you very shortly simply ceased to exist.

Raven said she had once read in an Earth book the phrase 'Travel without motion'. That pretty much summed up portal travel. At least some rare Humans grasped the idea even though they were clueless about the method. Yes the physical senses told one that time was passing and you were moving past things but it was false impression. Time did not exist in the Void and in the Void all points and places in the Multiverse not only meet,_ they are one__ in the same_ - that is why one had to _know_ the location you were headed. Not 'know' as in where it is located but know as in what the location _is_ - one's mental impressions of it along with memories of how it feels, smells, looks, even what it sounds and tastes like.

When coupled with the ability to form a portal that opened the way from real-space, ones previous visits left a record in the mind that formed a sort of address or beacon that simply automagically placed you there. Without those memories of a place there was no leaving the Void, no exits to a random location - and no going back to where you started. You would stay there until you ceased to exist and given its nature, for most beings that would happen very very fast.

Being what is - and isn't - between the dimensions meant that physical matter could not exist there, only energy. Matter that did leak through from real-space was instantly converted to energy which eventually found its way back into the Multiverse. The Voids' nature and the bizarre radiation's flowing through it from the Multiverse around them would instantly kill unprotected life forms. For different reasons, both Starfire and Raven were near indestructible and could easily live in the vacuum of space but more than that was needed here. When in the Void with Starfire, Raven projected a glowing blue shield around the two of them that was a piece of real-space which protected Starfire from the effects of the Void.

Starfire of course knew that Raven was not exactly a physical being but instead was a focused projection of her self-image made solid. Her actual body had been vaporized by one called the Green Lantern whose power had been augmented by the Azar after Trigons first and premature attempt to break free of his prison realm when Trigon's mind had entered her and taken over her body before the time called out in the Prophecy. Since Raven was no longer made of physical matter, the hostilities of the Void had no effect on her.

Just before Green Lantern's destroying Trigon/Raven the Azar had extracted Ravens' actual being – her 'spirit' as some would call it -- from her body and transferred it into Starfire for safekeeping until she could be trained to exist without an actual physical body. It had taken several Earth years of meditations during which her mother Arella instructed Raven-Starfire before she had learned how exist as a non-physical entity and project herself into and when desired _through_ the physical world.

Now her outward form was up to her and she could shape-shift at will. No physical barrier could stop her as she could simply project herself through any matter as easily as one walking or flying through the air. For special needs she would transform into the shape of the Avatar for which she was named - a non-corporeal jet black raven of any size desired. Once she had mastered all this she separated from Starfire, re-entered the physical world and took on her original form.

It was during this period that Raven and Starfire developed their permanent mental bond - literally living inside of each others mind tended do that... When needed, telepathic communication was second nature to them as when they desired to, each literally knew what the other thought and felt. When they were once again separate entities it was only natural they became lovers.

With a smile, Starfire's mind drifted back to the portals -- at first she had a problem with the bit about time. She had told Raven "But when we travel I know that we are in the Void for several minutes! We Tamaranians have an excellent internal sense of time and have been called 'walking clocks' by some. As we travel I see many things go by that take time before they again vanish."

Raven had an easy proof: She had Starfire bring a timepiece with them as they used a portal to travel to a world that circled a star 17 light-years away. The star was one that the Humans called Altair and was home to a race called the Ancients until they were destroyed over 8,000 years ago by an evil race called the Shriva. They looked at the clock in wall of towers' vid room as they left and it read 11:00. Instead of just going straight to Altair Raven somehow made it possible for them to tarry in the Void and "enjoy the show" as she had put it.

By Starfires reckoning and the clock with them they stayed in the Void being dazzled by the beauty of the Multiverse that surrounded them for over an hour before exiting on Altair whereupon Raven immediately made another portal for their return to Earth. They again dallied for over an "hour" before exiting. When they had reappeared back in the tower it was 11:01. The only time that had passed on Earth was the time it took for Raven to create the two portals but by Starfires' internal clock and the one she brought with them over 2 hours had passed!

Time had passed for them but not for the Multiverse around them. Raven had said that was because they had "stepped out" from real-space into non-space and non-time. The shield bubble that she used to protect Starfire when in the Void was also a bubble of their own personal "local-time" detached from real-space time but continuing at the same rate. This seriously puzzled Starfire for days until she finally gave up and just accepted that that is Just-How-It-Worked. She finally understood Ravens' fondness for saying "For some things there is no 'Why', it just _is_. Trying to find the answer to a question that should not exist is pointless."

Well, however portals worked, they were the ultimate in rapid galactic travel. One of the first worlds Raven took them to after Tamaran was that of the Nox, one of the few races that were equal to the Azar in development and abilities - in some ways they were even slightly more advanced.

Their home world had been far on the opposite edge of the galaxy and if Raven was right would have been one of the first to be destroyed. Unique in this Universe, their home world was _alive_ and a part of what was the Nox - this was their major distinction from the Azar. Being a part of the people its inhabitants named the planet same as they called themselves - Nox - which loosely translated into 'Of Life'. What all its inhabitants felt, the planet felt. What the planet felt its inhabitants felt. The planet itself and its inhabitants were of one mind - their only other distinction from the Azar. Raven knew that if the planet itself still physically existed, the memories of what had happened to it and its people should also exist with it.

Chapter-10

Ready for battle, Raven and Starfire emerged from the portal. Nothing. The planet Nox was still there but cold and drained of almost all energy and life. Almost. Still barely alive were its memories. When they arrived Raven immediately sensed overwhelming grief. She fell to her knees and placed her palms upon the ground. Her eyes glowing she raised her head and began to quietly chant in a language Starfire had never before heard her use.

Raven then bowed her head as tears formed and with a quiet "I am so sorry, so very very sorry," Raven's link to the planet's memories was established. She directed her thoughts to Starfire so she could see, know and feel what she did. At first a flood of senses and thoughts overwhelmed her but soon started to form coherent memories:

Nox had been a wonder of creation. It and it's inhabitants had been of one mind since the earliest days of its creation. Never had violence taken a life here as all was One. Animal, vegetable, or mineral made no difference, an act of violence was an attack upon oneself because what one felt, all felt. The food chain was peaceful and well ordered with all that was 'food' giving of itself at the end of its natural life in an endless cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. When the planet needed to re-arrange itself with tectonic activity animal life knew to get out of the way and the planet would wait until they did. Even weather was moderated with no large storms over land. From the lowest mineral in the soil to the most advanced biologics of Nox all had a Purpose for being.

It's most advanced beings - the Nox - could hardly be called the "dominant" lifeform. As advanced in technology and metaphysics as they were, they had never viewed the planet or its lower life in terms of it 'being there just for their use and damn the consequences' as most races had. Floating in the skies above untouched forests and plains their cities were like heavenly jewels. In short it was a paradise.

Now as Raven and Starfire had seen, it was all gone. The surface had been blasted to a flat plain of frozen lava and Nox was almost dead. All that was left of the destroyed jewel-like cities were the tips of a few spires poking out from the solidified lava. Starfire gasped as the planet replayed memories of its last days of full life. The record gave Raven and her their first taste of just how truly evil and malevolent Trigon could be.

Unlike he had done on Earth during his first full release or in his attack on Tamaran and the two other systems they had checked before coming here, this planet and its star system did not die quickly. Quite the contrary, Trigon had played here for a time before finally drawing the life out of it.

Trigon had learned of the Nox One Mind and could not resist torturing Nox by ever so slowly killing its lifeforms a few at a time. He had reveled in the planets agony as he methodically tore apart the surface, melting the areas underneath the floating cities one at a time then turning his attention to the cities themselves and their inhabitants. The first few cities he simply plunged into the melted rock along with their people. But that was too quick.

"_**THIS IS FAR TOO EASY. THIS PLANETS AGONY PLEASES ME BUT ENDS TOO QUICKLY**_" Trigon had said. He then began slowly tear the cities to bits, slowly lowering the pieces and people towards the lava until they burst into flames. "_**MUCH MORE SATISFYING**_" the planet had heard Trigon say, gloating. Once the cities and people were gone he made relatively short work of the rest of the planet. Even so, the torture of Nox had lasted almost one entire Earth month.

Still, the planet Nox still survived in a sense. Somehow, it just _knew_ that its knowledge had to survive and be passed on so it had ingrained the entire knowledge of the Nox into its very geologic structure even as Trigon reveled in its destruction. Now two were here who could take that knowledge and preserve it.

With almost the last of its energies the planet spoke directly to them, "_Raven, please do not weep for us any longer. What is, is what is. This end to Nox has been known to us since the dawn of our creation and could not be changed. As you have your Prophecy, we had ours. The part you played in bringing this about simply had to be. We are sorry that you were the One to begin it by freeing Trigon, but _somebody_ had to be it and the Fates picked you._

_Know this - you and your companion are the Keys to stopping him from destroying the Universe! This Galaxy is finished, but others can still be saved. Travel this galaxy to see what you must see and learn what you must learn - it will be needed when the time comes to act and will be all you have to assure you that IT MUST BE DONE!"_

Starfire blinked at Raven and gasped, "This galaxy is ended? There is no hope at all of saving it?" Raven said nothing in reply, she just bowed her head as dark possibilities came to her mind.

"Nox, what is it that we must do?" Starfire asked. "_That cannot be known yet. We have our suspicions but that is all they are. It is something that you must discover and decide to do yourselves. Know that there is one world that will remain untouched by the Dark One. There you will find ultimate despair and yet also -- hope. There your answer lies." _

Raven raised her head and asked "Where is this world to be found? If you know what we must do why don't you tell us!"

"_Raven, Starfire, the path to your answer is deep within both of your minds. It was given to you by the Azar. When the time is right, after the Two are briefly One the location will be known to you. As to why, again, we cannot now tell you - it could change what must come. You have not seen enough and would reject what must be done. Rejecting the inevitable would be the end of all hope for this Universe! We are almost at our end and have but one request, please do not let the knowledge of Nox end here. As did the Azar, we wish to transfer our knowledge to you two so in one sense we will then still live. Will you accept us?"_

As one Starfire and Raven humbly spoke, "Yes. Yes, we will accept your legacy." The ground began to tremble as Nox spoke "_Then please rise above the surface and prepare yourselves!"_

The ground began to tremble and roll violently as Raven and Starfire both rose into the sky several meters and opened their minds to what would come. The planet surface beneath them cracked open and an immense chasm that looked like it reached to the core of the planet widened beneath them. From the yawning abyss a blinding sheet of light bust forth engulfing the two of them.

Their minds rang with a chorus of sounds, voices, images and memories. Every now and then snippets would standout from the overwhelming mass of knowledge - the decades slow thoughts of a rock one second, the fleeting thoughts of a tiny insect the next, then numbingly beautiful songs of the Nox, all in harmony with each other. Within a minute the light faded away and it was over. Starfire and Raven's minds still hummed with what Nox had given them and though most was rapidly fading from conscious thought much did remain.

"_We are done. Thank you for preserving what we once were. If fate grants it and the Universe survives this, you may one day find a place for us. Thank you."_

The ground stopped shaking. Raven stretched out her mind throughout the planet but now felt nothing. Nox was dead.

She turned to Starfire, "Well, Nox said we had to continue our search and only Time would reveal what we need to know. Time to go Starfire. There are many many worlds we can reach by Portal and the rest can be done in my Avatar. Time to see what we must see."

As Raven created the Portal, recalling from her newly acquired memories just how beautiful Nox was Starfire quietly said, "Goodbye Nox. I will treasure these memories of you always. Goodbye."

Chapter-11

They had already checked out over 3,000 worlds in less than an Earth week stopping on each only long enough to see that it was cold and dead. The last time they took a rest was days ago and that was only for a few hours. Again and again they found the same thing: Lifeless planets and cold dead stars.

The most disturbing thing they found was that even the monster of a super-massive black hole in the center of the galaxy, at one time the most awe inspiring and powerful object in it, was gone, absorbed in its entirety!

After they had covered all of the worlds accessible by Ravens' portals they began trying those that could only be reached using Ravens' Avatar. While much slower, this gave them the chance to observe other stars along the way to their destinations. After visiting a few hundred more systems they finally gave up on actually landing on the planets and just began heading in the direction of the stars themselves. Without exception it was all the same: As they got closer to a star it would suddenly disappear as they reached the point where its light traveling through space simply stopped. They had learned what this meant - Trigon or his fire minions had already been there and the system was dead. It was pointless to continue on to that system.

After searching over twenty-thousand stars they could tell that the outer rim of the galaxy had been the first attacked. From what they gathered the destruction began about 500 years ago -- just after they thought they had destroyed Trigon.

Starting in small pockets spread around the edge of the galaxy it had spread like an infection into an almost a complete circle of total destruction that ran around the rim - almost all happening at once. From there Trigon rapidly moved throughout the rest of the stars. From what they had seen not even the smallest brown dwarf stars had been spared destruction. Anything with any kind of energy in it had been sucked cold. They had not yet found one single star system intact.

They finally took another well deserved rest on a world called Thallia which was once home to a powerful race of winged humanoids. As with every other system they had checked this one was long dead. Raven was exhausted from using her powers so much and the local energy fields of the Multiverse were not as nourishing to her as they should have been.

Normally she could have continued this limited use of her powers indefinitely by simply drawing sustenance from the Multiverse as needed but because of the massive local drain to it Trigon had caused wherever he had been she had been running on reserves stored within her while energy only trickled back to her far slower than she was using it. Starfire had helped by sharing what she could of her life energy but there was a limit to how much Raven dared to draw from her. Their reserves were starting to get low and needed time to be replenished. As Raven and Starfire rested they gloomily discussed what they had found so far and decided that it was time for a change in tactics.

Now it was all too obvious that instead of being destroyed Trigon had been only dispersed around the outside of the galaxy and that from there the bits of Trigons' essence had began collecting power and coming together as he started to reshape himself. As he gathered himself back together and rebuilt his strength he swept through the star systems at an ever increasing rate but seemed to be working in a pattern that initially avoided coming closer than 500 light-years to Earth, going around that area like water flowing past a boulder in a stream..

Raven and Starfire were sure that Trigon had been doing this so they would be less likely to know that he was here in this realm until he was ready to again battle them. His strategy had worked.

After his last defeat Raven and Starfire had only visited the worlds closer to Earth thinking that _if_ he had survived he would have tried to find a place close to his enemies to begin rebuilding his power. He could not have had the strength to go so far - and in fact, didn't. It was the power of Raven/Starfires' final attack that had dispersed him so far.

Once they realized what he was up to they knew that he had to be near Earth by now. Believing that his Gem and her companion were still there as two of Earths' protectors, he was probably saving Earth for last so he would be at his highest power before taking on Raven and Starfire again.

Alarmed, they realized that Tamaran had been one of the most recently destroyed and it was only 350 light-years away from Earth. Only about 12,000 stars were in an area around Earth smaller than that and at the speed Trigon was attacking and moving on they must be almost all gone by now.

Damn! That meant going back to Earthspace and using it as a central base to search the stars nearest to it until they found Trigon - unless he was already there. Going back to Earth itself was probably out of the question because the 'gift' they had left behind was sure to have really ticked off its inhabitants just as it was supposed to. After that it was highly doubtful that the Humans would allow them back on the planet and it was quite likely that they would try to kill them on sight. Of course no Human technology could now harm them but it would still be annoying and distract them from the all too real need to gather all the power within them that they could before facing Trigon.

Dealing with the Humans ire would be messy and complicated if they wanted to avoid killing too many of them so they had figure out where to stay while in Earthspace. The moon wouldn't work because the humans had several mining settlements there along with observatories and communication facilities so they decided it would be best to camp out on Mars for the time being and wait for Trigon there. It might be a little battered and missing a good-sized piece but it was still a perfectly serviceable planet for their needs. Far better than anything else they'd found in the nearly dead galaxy... Earth had no bases on Mars or observation satellites circling it anymore since the - um - incident Raven and Starfire caused there so they could prepare for this Final Battle undisturbed.

Assuming that Trigon had not entered Earthspace they knew that they could rebuild their strength back to normal in less than a day from the un-drained energy fields that would be there. After gathering their strength on Thallia for a few more hours Raven made the portal to Mars and they passed through.

Chapter-12

On a shattered rock strewn dusty red plain a glowing ring appeared just above its surface. The center of the ring suddenly blazed with energy and two figures flew out of it and immediately shot up several kilometers into the ruddy sky. The ring then vanished without a trace once again leaving only the broken and barren plain.

As soon as they appeared on Mars and climbed to a safe altitude to check things out Raven and Starfire felt an almost orgasmic rush of power flooding into them. Yes, oh yes! This much freespace energy could only mean that they were still in time! Trigon had not yet arrived here. Finally after months of finding only death and destruction they again felt the joy of Life around them! They drank deeply of the energies surrounding them and relished in the simple pleasure of seeing the sun rising over the fractured horizon.

They lowered themselves back to the surface to decide what to do next. As the suns rays began to shine on them they stripped off their clothes to take in all the warmth it had to offer. While much weaker on Mars than on Earth, none the less it was sunlight and after months of being in the black depths of space it felt divine! They were becoming giddy with the shear joy of actually feeling radiant warmth again and seeing a planet bathed in daylight once more or maybe it was just the overwhelming rush of power coming back to them. Whatever it was, speaking of seeing... Raven looked over at Starfire basking in the sun, and her nipples began rising as a thin cold breeze blew over them.

Seeing Raven standing with arms and legs spread to the sun, magnificent breasts now fully perked and so inviting, Starfire smiled as her own began to perk up and she started to feel a very familiar stirring down below... She moved next to Raven and deeply kissed her. Raven responded, embracing her, grasping Starfires firm rear as she kissed back. Starfire began kissing Ravens' face, then neck, then breasts. Starfire knelt and moved lower.

Holding Starfire's head in her hands Raven cried out "Yes, YES!" as Starfire started probing her with her tongue. It had been _so _ long since they had made love! The last time had been just before leaving Earth.

During the course of their looking through the galaxy for any sign of life there had been no intimacies between them because it had been so depressing finding only the aftermath of Trigon. Even their constant mental contact had been filled only with depressing thoughts and discussion of what had happened. Making Love had been out of the question. But here, now...

Here there was still Life, here there was still Hope! Just for how long, that was another story. As they linked their minds closer together in Love, Raven thought of a few lines from some very old war movie she had watched. Something about two young lovers and one of them going off to war... How'd that go? Oh yes, that's it...

She shared her thoughts with Starfire: The two lovers were lying on a beach under the stars, one of them saying something like "The world has gone insane, but its madness has brought us together. Thank the Fate's we've found each other! Tomorrow I'm off to the front and I may not be coming back, but - that is tomorrow. Today is now, and now I'm with you. Please darling, who knows what tomorrow may bring. Let us Live and Love for today!"

"Yes my love" Starfire said. "Let us Love for today..." Raven sang out a variation on a little jingle she one heard somewhere, "Shields up! Panties down! Isn't life a scream..." Damn! She was getting positively buzzed from the power flowing back into her.

Smirking, Raven threw up some protection for Star and said "Ready for some real fun my Love?" With those thoughts, together they lay down, floating just above the reddish sands on the sunlit side of a dune and began making Love to each other as they hadn't done in centuries.

As their minds intertwined and joined as one they didn't notice that occasionally so to was their physical beings. From time to time they were again merging into the One and then separating back into two as the passions within them rose and literally exploded in tremendous blasts of energy, then wound down into a soft glow that was coming from the now blasted molten surface around them like rippling and thundering like waves of lava crashing onto a beach.

This time they paid no heed to containing their emotions or powers – the time for that concern was long gone. _This_ time belonged to _them_ alone.

To those on Earth that noticed it seemed that Mars was having a hard time of it with asteroids again.

Chapter-13

One-half of the planet missing later, they lay together in each others arms and minds still floating a few inches above a new spot on what was left of Mars. As they were watching the small blue dot of light that was Earth rise above the horizon, Raven began remembering something her mentors on Azarth had said to her or taught her. Or was it both? What was that...

The First Ones. Something about the First Ones. That's it - The First Ones, along with a record of some sort, and another Prophecy. The memory triggered more than that: she remembered a vision given to her by her mother where it was to be found. The record was supposed to be a history of the First Ones. Just what the Prophecy said or was about, no one knew but she did know that it seemed very important to her right now.

Exactly why she hadn't thought about this before she wasn't sure. Maybe it was triggered by the desperation of what was happening and seeing the Earthrise, a tiny blue dot of hope and life in an otherwise dead galaxy. Whatever the reason was, all of a sudden a myriad of thoughts and voices began flooding into Raven's memory as some of the racial knowledge of the Azar began to surface.

She jerked away from Starfire and their concentration broken, both fell onto the sand. So many voices! "AAARGH!" Raven screamed, clutching her head in her hands, "IT'S... TOO... MANY! ... Slow DOWN!" She shut out Starfire from her mind to protect her from the onslaught and began to throw up filters to keep things straight in her own. Then, as suddenly as it started, the chorus of voices stopped and she knew where they would find something that could give them the one chance to defeat Trigon forever.

Starfire had caught just the beginnings of the flood before Raven had shut her out from it and was also holding her head. Shaking it to try clear it from the shock she cried, "Raven! What happened?" The last clear memories she had before the knowledge storm was that of Raven remembering something about a very ancient race.

The pain faded and her mind cleared. "Raven, who are the First Ones? Can they somehow help us defeat your father and restore the galaxy to as it once was just as you did for the Earth?"

Finally taking her hands from own her head Raven said "A part of the knowledge the Azar transferred to me just came together for some reason. I don't know why this hasn't happened before or why it did now, but give me a minute to sort things out - part of what I'm remembering I already knew from my teachings on Azarath but most of it just came through in that mind storm."

Raven and Starfire sat up and folded their legs into the lotus position to be more comfortable on the sand. They both almost immediately regretted it. "Aaargh!" Raven let out as some sand worked its way between her moist labia. "Damn sand gets EVERYWHERE!" With that they again both levitated a few inches above the surface as Raven used a quick flick of power to remove the irritating sand from their nether regions. Starfire smiled, "Ooh that is much better! Thank you." she said.

"No problem. This will be faster if we both link our minds together again," Raven said. With that they opened their minds to each other and Raven began:

"I don't see how they could possibly help us" she replied. "All but one are gone. The First Ones left this Universe billions of years ago, but still..."

She sighed and then continued, "When this Universe was first formed they came into being along with it. Their star system was the first created after matter began condensing from the seething energies of the Big Bang." Wide-eyed, Starfire looked puzzled. "You mean they were the first life to evolve in our entire Universe?"

"No" Raven said. The First Ones were the first lifeforms of any sort in this part of the Multiverse - our Universe - but they didn't evolve. They didn't start out as a lower form of life and rise to what they were - they were created as _ fully evolved and fully ascended non-physical beings._ They were beings of pure living energy patterns in a universe that was made _only _of energy.

Almost like a movie, visions played in their minds as Raven guided her new memories: An expanding ball of seething energy surrounded them but they were not alone - intelligence was here with them. Not in any one place but all around them, disembodied and flitting from here to there in an instant. And not just a few - there were dozens of separate intelligence's here.

Then as the visions continued they began to see through the eyes of some of these intelligence's: As the universe expanded and cooled, physical matter began to form which intrigued them. "How novel" they thought. When the gargantuan atomic clouds began to separate and collapse into the first galaxies and then pockets of matter within the galaxies further began to condense into star systems they watched what was happening with great interest. Almost immediately they saw a practical use for it so they decided to speed things along in one little area of the ever expanding universe that was unfolding and taking shape around them. They created a Home world for themselves. At this time they still were strictly non-physical entities so what happened next was inevitable.

For the first time in their several million years of existence they finally had a specific place in the Universe to "Be" simply because until a solid universe began to take shape, there was no real "here" or "there", only what seemed a nearly infinite sea of endlessly changing energy and virtual particles. Until then they were as the wind, always wandering and never in one spot for long. Now they had a place to meet, a place to share their knowledge and reflect as they watched this Universe take shape and the myriad galaxies with their uncountable star systems form. Within a few billion years, in the galaxy closest to their home world, a different kind Life arose - solid, physical, chemical-based biological life.

This new type of life fascinated the First Ones. As they studied these new lifeforms emerging they saw how useful it would be to be able to directly interact with solid matter by taking on a physical form and so they began projecting a physical representation of themselves - an Avatar - into realspace. Through the use of Avatars they gained bodies. Bodies that could touch, taste, hear, see, and smell the wonders that were developing everywhere.

The visions ended and Raven spoke again, "In many ways, I'm now much like they were - a primarily non-physical being projected into the physical world because it is where I feel most at home. The difference is, the pre-Azar are - were - the first evolved humans from Earths very distant past. Alone on along gone continent they created the first civilization on Earth. They created Mu – Mother of all civilizations on Earth.

After a spectacularly fast evolution their mental capacities evolved to the point where they were able to ascend to the next step in physical evolution – they gained the ability to travel space with their minds and eventually figured out how to bring their bodies along to by creating Avatars much as the First One's did. Their final accomplishment on Earth was the discovery of portals which immediately led to the use of sub-space or 'pocket dimensions'. At first is was simply a convenient method of storage: My transport jewel and trunk-of-holding are simple examples.

The natural and final conclusion to that path was to place their entire race into a pocket dimension and so Azarella the first of the Mu who had broken their physical bonds created a... place... for them. To the very last person they left the planet for the plane of Azarath so they and the remaining species on Earth could continue to evolve naturally without interference from each other. It is in Azarella's honor that they call themselves Azar and named their new home Azarath.

The Azar were still physical beings evolving towards ascension - towards a non-physical existence that can leave this universe behind. I suppose that in some ways the First Ones pushed themselves through a kind of reverse-evolution. They weren't about to give up being non-physical entities but saw additional advantage by also being physical entities. Best of both worlds so to speak."

Raven let out a sigh, "The current crop of humans on Earth think that _they_ are the first on their planet to evolve intelligence. Not that they use it much... Over 700 million years of major life forms on the planet and they believe it was only brainless giant lizards for all that time! Arrogant idiots. I wonder how they would take finding out that they are number three on the "evolved intelligence" list and a mammal in the oceans is number 2, beating them across the line by over half a million years?"

Sounding rather distant, Raven continued to speak from the memories that were still forming even as she talked. "The home planet of the First Ones lies far outside the main disk of this galaxy along its central axis but they themselves are long gone, their planet and its star have been cold and dead for over 12 billion years."

"They left because they felt physical Life in the Multiverse had to grow unfettered and un-influenced by them. Temptations to experiment with this new form of life that was arising everywhere around them were great but the First Ones already knew by now that these physical lifeforms would soon vastly outnumber them in astonishing diversity. Some of them may even have potential to evolve to where the First Ones now stood. This was best something left untouched if at all possible if it was to properly grow and develop."

Now Raven sounder much grimmer as she once again was working from her own memories, "The Azar had left the Earth for the same reason. Only for the First Ones, the reason wasn't from what _might_ happen. It was from what _did_ happen."

She paused and took the mental equivalent of a deep breath. "You see, my father... is a First One. Trigon is the last of the First Ones still in the Multiverse."

Starfire was thunderstruck. She stammered out "But, that means... that means that you are..."

"Yes Star. I'm one-half Azar _and_ one-half First One" Raven said. "Trigon gave me more than he knows. He thinks that _he_ made me and _he_ gave me my powers to aid _him_. He was certain that I would be able to be controlled by him and could be rendered powerless simply by him removing the powers he had given me. After becoming the Portal I was supposed to die or at the very least become a powerless Mortal."

What he didn't realize is that in creating me through a near-ascended human he had made a being almost as powerful as he is. That is why after I used all of the power he had given me to become the Portal I was as strong, well, actually stronger, than I was with the powers I had received from him. Only when I was completely drained of his dark powers I was then able to fully draw on the power of the Multiverse that surrounds and fills everything - once I realized that I could. My becoming His Gem then transmogrifying into the Portal and surviving the process was a totally unexpected surprise to him – and me.

The Prophecy never mentions what happens to me after I -- the Portal -- lets Trigon through to this realm once again. Those who studied it – including Trigon of course – just assumed that since I was no longer mentioned after becoming the Portal, 'fulfilling my destiny' included being destroyed when the Portal closes just as a regular portal ceases to exit.

My Hope against all hope was that not being mentioned again in the Prophecy left a chance, a tiny one but still, a chance, that I might be able to do _something_ to change what was to be. I certainly didn't think it included living."

Raven took hold of Starfire's hand and squeezed it to her breast. "That's why I gave you and the rest of the Titans the 'Gift' of some of my Powers when I knocked you unconscious and went with Slade to become what I had to become. I hoped that together, you four would come up with... something." Raven lowered her head a bit and gave a quite sob. The slight uncontrolled release of deep emotion caused the ground to give a slight roll and rumble almost as if doing the same.

Starfire put her other hand on the back of Raven's neck and moved closer to her. "You knew that you were going to your death and unleash the source of all evil and yet you still had hope that others would prevail." She brushed back Raven's hair and said, "It has taken too long for you to tell anyone of what happened to you at that time. I thank you that is me you have confided in."

Raven gave a sniff and raised her head again, "When Trigon came through me and slagged the Earth I almost ceased to exist but a part of me somewhere still survived. Like a tiny seed it gave me a place to focus my existence and rest as the Multiverse renewed my energies. Once I had gained enough I was able to first form my bird Avatar that led you together again and then take on a physical body again. My deep uncertainty as to what I still could do was reflected by my choice of a body – that of a small child." Raven locked her gaze directly at Starfire, her violet eyes looking deep into Starfire's green eyes, "Do you know where that seed was?"

Starfire knew the answer before Raven had even asked the question. "It was within... me. The time we spent joined as one after you died..." Starfire momentarily raised her hand to her lips in embarrassment, "Oop! I mean, after your body was destroyed the first time and I carried your spirit within me the bonds our spirits formed remained after you were whole again. Does not each of us carry a part of the other within ourselves?"

"That we do my Love, that we do."

The two separated slightly as Raven continued "Remember, it wasn't until I saw you and the rest of the Titans and even Slade being able to not only fight Trigon but actually _hurt_ him that I realized that he was no longer - and possibly never was - the only source of my powers. Only then did I _know_ that I was more than a ...tool, a weapon... that existed only to be perversely used by my father and be destroyed in the process. That is when I truly believed that I could be whatever _**I**_ wanted to be and gained the confidence in myself to fight back.

I hope - I pray - that when we are joined together what the Azar did to you and me in the last battle with Trigon pushed us to being equal to his powers even now. In at least one way I'm already superior to him: We know that Trigon cannot create portals to transport himself, if he could he wouldn't have needed others and his Gem - me - to do it for him.

His sweep through the galaxy was done in the giant red cloven-hoofed demon Avatar form that he prefers. That's why he's impossible to really damage with only physical attacks. The demon Avatar is the focus of his attention in the physical world just like my human-form Avatar," Raven spread her hands before her and continued, "is _my_ focal point of existence.

As I've said before, an Avatar is a projection of ourselves into the physical world. What I don't think I've told you is that when we choose a physical Avatar - a 'body' if you will - there are physical limits set with it that are not of all our own choosing. Like me Trigon can be hurt in this form. We can feel pain. We can be damaged. We can be bound and we can be confined. But - we cannot be killed because _what you see is not all of what we are._

If things get bad enough we can give up our physical form and simply - leave this existence" Raven said with a spread of her hands. "If we cannot shape-shift to another form or phase-shift through a barrier we can disassociate our consciousness from the projection. Our body ceases to be but _we still live_.

That is what happened to me when I was changed into The Portal that brought Trigon through to this universe. It's not a thing I would want to do again anytime soon. For seemingly endless time I was drifting, floating in the mists of Time amongst all that was and all that could be. Eventually realized that I was 'someone'. I began to remember; Who I was and _what_ I was. I remembered that I had two reasons to go back: Try and stop Trigon from destroying this universe and to return to my lover. It was when I thought of you that I found the ember of me that you carry as part of your spirit. Like a moth to a flame I was drawn from the mists back to you.

The point is, if Trigon is to be stopped forever either his non-physical being must be destroyed - which now I'm not sure can be done - or it must be bound, forever locked away from the rest of the Multiverse. If there is a way to attack his _real_ self and not just his Avatar, then we have a chance."

Starfire looked worried. "A chance to do what? Is it possible for us to create another prison to contain him or perhaps be able to force him into the Void between the dimensions? Do you know what is needed to be done to accomplish such a thing or where to find who may?"

"You're right to be more than a little worried Star. It was said that Trigon's prison dimension was originally created by the rest of the First Ones after he rebelled against their wishes and began his campaign of destruction against physical Life. They had created a new realm within the Multiverse itself to hold him - in essence his own private universe - and somehow forced his consciousness into it and then sealed away it from the rest of Multiverse. I have absolutely no idea how they did it. As far as I know, no one knows how they did it or ever did."

"But your people made their home in such a place! Had they forgotten how they did it?"

Again Raven sighed. "No Star they didn't forget. The problem was the nature of his prison. The dimension that was Azarath was connected to this one, a part of it, just like my transport jewel and my trunk are connected to this dimension. That connection allows us to move things between there and here.

Think of this realm as being like a long balloon and you take one end of it and twist it like making a sausage. You end up with a little balloon connected to the rest of the original balloon. It's still the same balloon but now the space inside of each is separated by the twist. Slightly undo the twist and you can move air from one side to the other. Azarath was the same way – the Azar found how to 'twist' space and create a pocket of space that was part of but separated from here. Pushing a bulge or pocket in an existing realm is actually fairly easy and common among the Azar," she touched the third stone on her belt, "case in point, my transport gem.

The prison that held Trigon was... different. It wasn't connected to this realm or a part of it. It was created in the Void and from the Void.

"But Raven, if Trigon was removed from the Multiverse, how was he able to bring about his return?" Starfire asked. "I know that the demon-priests of the Shriva are the ones who took your mother and raped her in the ceremony that fostered your beginning, but how was it that Trigon himself was able to impregnate her?"

"I think that it was the combination of her being on the cusp of becoming Azar and the demon-priests powers that cracked open my fathers prison enough for him to transfer a larger, um, part of himself through the chief priest and into my mother.

My mentors told me that during his first reign of terror against physical Life he had terrible influence upon many developing worlds and probably seeded many with a small piece of himself. By themselves the pieces were almost powerless but, they _could_ change the nature of the beings that evolved intelligence on those worlds. They could become a link between here and Trigons prison domain. They believed that somehow the other First Ones missed this possibility."

"I feel that there is much that these 'First Ones' missed" said Starfire with sad bitterness.

"I agree, but then again, they may not have had a choice. Once those races evolved far enough along the paths he laid down he was able to guide them in his plans for returning. He knew that many if not most would never reach a level where they could directly interact with him enough. Indeed, the nature he had ingrained into them would most likely cause them to destroy themselves before they advanced enough to be of use to him - but it would take only one race to start his return. Except for being an irritant, Time means nothing to him. He would just have to wait."

Thinking about it a few more seconds, "But..." she continued, " I think now that the First Ones _did_ know that Trigon might one day escape because as much as they did not want to interfere in any way with natural evolution, they too seeded this galaxy with some of their essence before they left the Multiverse. A very few, special worlds in this galaxy that they somehow determined would produce races that stood a chance against Trigon were given a head-start towards ascension. There are legends of a race called the 'Ancients' destroyed long ago who were supposed to have actually helped them in this. Earth and Tamaran were two of the worlds they gifted. If there were any other worlds that they had 'touched' they must have not survived because the Azar never found them. My mentors told me that all knowledge that the Azar knew regarding Trigon came from a racial-memory the First Ones had planted along with their other gifts."

Now Starfire was truly puzzled. "But Raven," she said, "If Tamaran was touched by the First Ones why did we not evolve as the Azar did? We have some powers, yes, but not all Tamaranians can use starbolts and none from Tamaran have _ever_ had powers such as yours. A few of our ancient legends _do_ speak of great battles between the forces of light and dark, fought by beings described as much like you have told me of the First Ones and Trigon and yes those are from long, long ago, but they are taught to us as children. They are not a 'memory' that each is born with."

"I don't know. Perhaps Tamaran was given different gifts, like your ability to fly and your physical durability and strength. I think a more important sign is your ability to draw life energy directly from the Multiverse."

Raven's face set in a determined look. "No matter what, I feel we need to go to the First One's home world - that is where their records are to be found if they still exist. At some time - I'm not sure when - Arella planted a vision in my mind of where their home world is located and more importantly – impressions of the exact spot we need to be able to use a portal to get there. Just how my mother knew this I don't know. She and for that matter none of the Azar have ever been to the home world of the First Ones. As far as I know _no one_ had ever found it much less been there since they left the Multiverse. Ever.

"If we are lucky we may be able to find out just how the First Ones were able to trap and bind Trigon to his prison realm. It can't be just a coincidence that Trigon has almost completed the conquest of his first galaxy and us finding out the location of the First One's home world. There MUST be a reason that we have been made aware of this now" Raven said grimly.

"Once again, Destiny" Raven angrily thought to herself. "Once again it seems my life is laid before me out of my control. With our luck, we'll probably find another Prophecy as well" she growled.

"I sense that my father is closer to Earthspace now, probably waiting for my next birthday now only a few days away. I don't know why it's so important to him but I'm sure he will not attack Earth before then. I don't know if Earth can be saved and the galaxy restored but I do know that if we battle Trigon now we may not win, even when we are joined as one his power is now far too great. If he can control the power he has absorbed we may not even be able to hurt him now."

"This little rest was..." Raven stroked Starfires face, "Nice. And far too short. I'm glad we had one more chance to share our Love before what's coming, but now, let's get our clothes on and get going."

Chapter-14

Far outside the plane of a small spiral galaxy in a very very old corner of the Universe a cold dark world floated in space, eternally slowly circling an immense dull red bloated corpse of a star. Together they were ancient, almost as old as Time itself. Alone, without any other companions this planet had orbited its star for what most would call forever.

From their position almost half-way to the next galaxy this planet and its star had seen the Universe literally grow up around them. This was the first true planet to be solid in the entire Universe and the first planet to harbor Life although it did not spawn it.

This was the home world of the First Ones.

The surface of the planet was an almost featureless plain of gray dust that lay undisturbed for billions of years. Although the planet was still barely warm enough to have an atmosphere, the air was dead still and silent, it was just too old and tired to even raise a gentle breeze. As for biological Life - none had _ever_ been there when it was originally inhabited although long, long after the original residents had gone for a brief time it did have some biological-based visitors. However that visit was over two million years ago. Still, it and the Mind it harbored waited patiently for what was to come.

Only 3 objects rose above the vast dusty plain, the remains of a mighty ship, a marker, and the most prominent, a simple windowless dome of massive proportions. Made entirely of some dull black material it was easily a thousand feet in diameter and 400 feet from the ground to its top it brooded over the landscape like some monstrous tomb. In its own way, the structure was alive. It knew its name and its one purpose: Its name was Vauluosa, its purpose - wait for two visitors, observe them - and observe the nearby galaxy. If they are the Right Ones, and it is the Right Time, then Vauluosa was to teach them and shelter them. All others were to be sent away.

For over 12 billion years it had waited. In all that time only once before had someone come here and they were not The Ones. These others had arrived in an immense spaceship that carried almost two thousand beings within it. Vauluosa looked into their being and saw that they carried the Gift within them but it still slept and would be latent for generations more. As it approached the planet everyone on the ship received in their minds the 1st warning, a clear unmistakable mental message _any_ lifeform would understand: "_**Danger! Come no closer.**_" It was sent and felt not as a threat, just a strong feeling of fact.

Perhaps from arrogance, or perhaps just out of blind curiosity the ship continued towards the planet. As the ship entered the atmosphere Vauluosa sent another warning, same as the first. Still, they persisted and landed nearby. When 12 of the beings left the ship and came near Vauluosa as one they stopped. Clear as a bell in their minds they received a final warning, this one just a simple statement of fact: _**There is nothing for you here. You may not enter here. Go**_.

This message they seemed to have taken as a challenge because using ever greater force they tried unsuccessfully to enter Vauluosa. Out of reckless frustration or accident they finally tried too hard and used the ships primary weapons, nearly destroying their entire ship and crew when the forces they had unleashed simply bounced off of Vauluosa and struck their ship.

Many in the ship died but enough survived to bury the dead and make heroic repairs to their vessel. At least they had learned their lesson - in the time it took them to reconstruct a serviceable craft from the remains of the once great and proud ship they never again came near Vauluosa.

They had gutted the original ship and left the remaining pieces where the original ship had landed. Nearby was now low burial mound topped with a simple marker in the form of a tall narrow metal pyramid several meters high. Two generations it had taken them before they had a craft that was space worthy. Once it was done, without ceremony they left and Vauluosa was once again alone.

It hoped that they made it home again.

While Vauluosa felt a bit sorry for them, the destruction was entirely their own fault. If they had heeded the Warnings and simply left Vauluosa alone it never would have happened. Vauluosa never once took any action against them and indeed, could not. It had no weapons for defense simply because it needed none. Vauluosa was made to resist Time itself and was not entirely part of the physical universe. While the outward part of it was in the physical world, most of it was actually a pocket dimension, untouchable by any physical force. This Universe itself would end but Vauluosa could remain if it desired - its creators had allowed it that choice if The Ones it waited for never came.

A short distance from the structure the air shimmered. Two figures emerged from a ring of light and while floating a short distance off of the ground, began to look around. Vauluosa had awoke from its slumber the instant it felt a stirring in the ether and now studied these new visitors with interest: Two beings. Arrived using a portal - not a ship - and are able to levitate, showing they have both the Gift and enough understanding of the Multiverse to use it. Lastly Vauluosa sensed immense Power in the two of them: Power the same as those who had created it and nearly as strong

A good start Vauluosa thought. They _could_ be the Right Ones. Now to see if it was The Right Time... Vauluosa looked towards the nearby galaxy whose stars still filled the sky but knew that what it saw was light that had started from the stars ages ago. It needed to investigate their condition _now _so it stretched its mind towards the galaxy - this took some time but shortly the question was answered.

Vauluosa was immensely saddened by what it found - all but 14 star systems in the entire main body of the galaxy had been destroyed and precisely in the manner it had been instructed to look for. Thirteen of those remaining belonged to servants of the Dark One - for now they must still be of use to him. Even all but the most distant of the far flung satellite stars that enveloped the galaxy proper had been destroyed. These distant companions to the Galaxy were only spared because like this world they were so far removed from it and were totally barren of life. Including this system less than 100 stars remained out of what was over 180 billion.

So. They _are _the Right Ones, this_ is_ the Right Time and for The Two, this _is_ the Right Place. Now fully awake and functioning Vauluosa prepared to greet them.

Chapter-15

Raven and Starfire emerged from the portal and gasped in amazement as they looked up, awestruck at the absolutely glorious sight that greeted them in the sky. Unfortunately, knowing what the Galaxy was truly like now that Trigon had all but destroyed it, what they saw was also a cruel lie - the billions of stars filling the sky no longer gave their light to the universe. What they were seeing was the light that came from the Galaxy two-hundred thousand years ago. None the less, the sight was stunning!

In some parts of the galaxy that they had seen in their travels the sky had been ablaze with so many stars it was almost a solid sheet of light, in other parts dark nebula's blotted out the stars altogether. In between they had seen iridescent clouds of glowing gas where stars had exploded and truly heart-wrenchingly beautiful columns of molecular gas clouds where star systems were being born. In all that, nothing compared to the sight before them now.

For their first time they were looking at the Galaxy on-axis from far outside of it - the display filled the entire sky above their heads with a glittering pinwheel of over 180 billion stars. Starfire had seen pictures of this during her schooling and Raven had seen this sight through memories shared by her tutors in Azarath but nothing could have prepared them for just how awe inspiring it was to actually see and experience it in person.

Even this planets ancient star was terrifyingly beautiful. Hanging low on the horizon almost respectfully muted in deference to the fascinating beauty of the galactic background was a monstrous dark red - almost black - ball covered with cracks across its entire surface. From the fissures poured brilliant yellow and orange flares and arcs of stellar plasma, some streaming into space, most falling through great sweeps of space before returning to the star through another crack far removed from where it had emerged. It was as if the star had been encased in some great dark sphere and was breaking out of it like some gigantic Phoenix from its egg. The sight of the star disturbed Raven - the only time and place she had ever seen anything like it was in her mind during meditations.

Starfire of course knew Raven's thoughts and said "It is most beautiful Raven! It would fit in perfectly with the other objects in that Dark Place you go for your deepest meditations."

"I know," Raven replied. "What disturbs me is that I think that _this_ star is what inspired that place. I had always wondered about that because it is unlike anything in the Multiverse I have ever seen or been taught. Several races – even someone on Earth named Dyson -- had theorized about encasing a star to trap all of its energy but as far as I know none had ever actually done it. As for just _how_ it could be the inspiration for that place..."

They drank in the sights in the sky for several minutes, marveling at the beauty the Galaxy once had and weeping at the memories of the destruction they had seen Trigon leave behind from his conquest of this realm. Finally they were able to shake themselves from the spectacle above their heads and looked around at where they actually were.

There could not have been a greater contrast. As far as the eye could see was an almost unbroken grey dusty plain. Only three object rose above it: The broken remains of some immense starship, what looked to be a large burial mound capped with an enigmatic monument, and an immense black dome. No other sign that life had ever been here was to be seen and yet both Starfire and Raven sensed tremendous Power and intelligence. Almost automatically they both began moving towards the dome looking for a way in.

Raven was the first to speak, "Well, it seems pretty obvious that whatever we are supposed to find here is in that dome. What I'm sensing is coming from it and anyway, there doesn't seem to be much else around here."

" I too feel it" Starfire agreed. As they passed over the barrow and got closer to the remains of the ship they lingered at the simple monument and puzzled at its meaning but none the less paid their respects to those entombed below. "I wonder what happened here? The remains of the ship is over there but it appears that very large pieces of it are missing."

The floated over to the ship and saw that Starfire was right. Where the power core and engines should have been were enormous empty skeletal cavities. All of the systems had been stripped from the ship along with very large sections of the hull.

Near the remains of the once great ship was a large long depression in the ground that looked like the impression another much smaller ship would have made. Between the two was a plain of very well traveled ground. It was easy to see that heavy machinery had once roamed back and forth between them. And yet everything around here was neat as a pin. Aside from the ground being worn and packed down there was no sign of any construction debris or rubble, no garbage mounds, no remains of the machines that had been used here.

Again Raven spoke, "This ship must have carried hundreds if not thousands of beings on it but were are the bodies? And that barrow, it had to built by someone. It looks like the survivors must have cannibalized this ship and built another to escape from here. What a feat that had to have been! Starfire, just imagine how long it must have taken! How they could have stayed so focused and not have given up hope? What kind of race had that kind of courage?"

"Raven..." Starfire quietly said, "I think I can see what destroyed this ship." Raven drifted over to where Starfire was looking through one of the uncountable holes in the hull of the ship. What she saw was the side of the black dome facing the bow of the ship. Around it for hundreds of yards in both directions and deep the ground had been blasted away from it revealing that black structure was not a dome. What they had though to be a gigantic dome was only a small exposed top slice of a truly titanic sphere that had to be at least a mile in diameter. Seeing the area where the ground had been blasted away and the massive damage to the front of the ship it became obvious what had happened.

"It looks like whoever was in this ship tried to get into that dome - and catastrophically failed crippling their ship in the process and yet, they recovered from this! They took care of their dead and built another ship from the remains of this one and left here. They even cleaned up all that they could before leaving."

"Truly as you said Raven, they must have been a people of great hope and courage. I hope they made it home," Starfire said with awe.

" I hope they did too. I wonder what they..." Raven started to say when she stopped and looked at Starfire as a deep and great but gentle Voice spoke to their minds.

Chapter-16

"_**Welcome my children. Greetings to The Two who are The One. I am **__**Vauluosa and welcome Home.**_" Starfire looked at Raven and sounding very puzzled said, "The two who are one? Home?" Before Raven could say a word the Voice continued. "_**Yes, The Two who are One. I have waited through eternity for this time and for you two to come here. Although it was hoped that the need would never arise, it has and here we three are. For you alone I was created. With you alone is my knowledge to be shared. Approach and enter my children, your questions and much more will be answered.**_"

Raven cocked her head and said "Vauluosa? I know that word... It is the language of the Ancients and means 'Guardian of Hope'. But I thought that.." Again Raven was cut off by the Voice. Reading her thoughts Vauluosa responded "_**You are quite right as to the meaning of my name and yes, I was created by the First Ones, not those you call the Ancients. That race was the first results of our efforts to save this Galaxy and Universe from the Dark One. We relied on them to spread the Gift amongst all the worlds they thought most promising. It was they who planted the racial memory of Me along with the Gift into your peoples when your planets first brought forth Life. But come my children, you have traveled further than any others in eons and witnessed more destruction than any but the Dark One himself who caused it. What lies before you is both terrible and great. The seeds the First Ones planted so long ago have flowered. Both the good and the evil. You will learn what needs to be done and for once, the reason and the final outcome of what you choose to do. How you view your choices only Time will tell. For now, enter. Enter and Learn.**_"

Looking at Starfire and sounding both resigned and curious Raven said, "Once again the path before me - us- has already been laid out and we can only follow. Well Starfire my love, are you ready? I don't know what will happen to us here but it's a pretty safe bet that we have to go in." With a wry grin she solemnly added "After all. We're expected and we don't want to keep our host waiting any longer!"

"Raven, we may be all that is left alive in this galaxy but we who are joined by a bond that cannot be broken shall face this together." At that Starfire's eyes open wide, "Raven!" she exclaimed, "Are we not two who are of one mind? Is that what Vauluosa means?" Starfire took Raven's hand and as they flew towards and opening that had formed in the black sphere Raven replied "I think that there is much more to it than that. We'll just have to find out." Privately, she had a pretty good idea of just exactly it meant. In all fairness she had to tell Starfire her suspicion.

Just before entering Vauluosa she stopped them and and turned. Facing her, Raven took both her hands in hers and told Starfire "My love, I think that what is meant is that more than just our minds are linked. Remember when we last fought my father? We merged and became... something, - _someone -_ else. More than just our Powers merged. So did our identities, our personalities, our very essence. After the battle we separated again. I think - I _feel_ - that this time the joining may be permanent. Are you so sure that you want to do this?"

Looking lovingly into Ravens violet eyes Starfire calmly told her "I can think of many worse ways of spending my life with you. As I said to Redstar so long ago,'We must become what we are. The greater the struggle against it the more it resists us. We must embrace what is inside us, let it become us and we will find what we are meant to be." Then Starfires eyes opened wide as she blurted out "You mean I will look like you!?"

"Well, last time I was the dominant form so... mostly yes I suppose" Raven replied. "_AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH HOW I LOOK?_" she heatedly added. Just as she had done when she let slip that very same statement when the Puppet King had switched their bodies Starfire piped out a quick and embarrassed "nothing!" and still holding one of Raven's hands spun around as she darted into Vauluosa dragging a startled Raven with her.

**Chapter-17**

Trigon had decided that finally it was time for his revenge against the Gem. He finished draining the last erg of energy from a trinary system that was the closest neighbor to the planet called Earth and began his short journey there. As he crossed the space between them he took a brief moment to savor his conquest so far:

He had so far destroyed all but ten star systems in this pathetic galaxy. Nine belonged to the Shriva who had served him well. As he still had uses for them he let them have their little empire - for now. The tenth however was the adopted home of his Gem and _its_ time had come.

As Trigon entered the system his first encounter was with a large ringed gas planet. As he passed by it, with the merest thought he projected his will upon it and instantly the planet burst into a small nova. In less than a second all its energy was his. A second even larger gas planet in his path met the same fate. His path then took him past the 4th planet from the sun and there Trigon paused.

The planet had been almost totally destroyed in a very interesting manner. Over half of it was gone and the missing pieces had not been just blasted into space, they had been dimensionally disintegrated. As if some great beast had been eating the planet large pieces of it had been cleanly removed leaving what could have been claw or teeth marks if it wasn't for the sheer planetary scale of them. He sensed the faint remaining traces of what did this – Raven.

An evil smile spread across Trigons face. He (wrongly) thought; So! My daughter still possesses the need for destruction. As much as she tried to deny his darkness within her, this was her handiwork! It pleased him to no end to think that even after all she had said and done part of him was still within her and would not be denied. She too had become a Destroyer of Worlds. This would make all the more amusing as he took his revenge.

He left that world as it was, perhaps it could serve as an object lesson for her later and dove directly to Earth.

As he approached Earth he again stopped. Something was wrong here! He could not sense her presence anywhere on the planet but _did_ pickup another trace of her power. A very strong trace. He went to it. When he saw what the power was he was at first puzzled but then began a long deep bout of laughter as the planets inhabitants went crazy like an anthill that had been kicked.

What he supposed were weapons of some kind began coming from the city next to the monument, striking him and around him. At first simple kinetic and chemical energies assailed him, all with absolutely no effect of course. Those he ignored. Then light and particle beams began hitting and those were slightly more distracting. As if brushing aside a cloud of insects, with a sweep of his arm the city simply ceased to be and a lake of fire took its place.

Trigon returned his attention to the black statue. Impudent as always, she was. Trigon fully understood the gesture the monument depicted and that it was directed at the inhabitants of this little world. His Gem had even encased it in a protective barrier that would easily withstand anything these primitives could do to try and destroy it.

"_**So, you have grown weary of this pathetic planet with the weak vermin that infests it's surface and decided to leave them a little gift. Good. The Gem is beginning to see that she is far beyond this insignificant race. I do not understand why you didn't destroy the planet before you left it - perhaps you still harbored some kind of feeling for it - but it matters not. I will do what you should have done**_"

Now nuclear weapons began striking. These were actually annoying, some even stung slightly. "_**ENOUGH**_!" Trigon bellowed."_**Since the Gem and her green-eyed **__**companion**__** are not here there is nothing to be gained by your further **__**existence**___" As Trigon had done once before, a wave of energy burst from him and swept across the planet. Within seconds the entire surface was a sea of molten rock and the oceans flashed off into vapor. The only thing he had spared was Raven's 'Gift' to the planets now dead people.

Trigon settled in front of the shimmering black statue and contemplated what to do now. This was _not_ how he expected things to happen. His Gem's once precious planet was now dead but his Revenge against her had been stolen from him. Furious, he cursed out loud. "_**DAMN YOU GEM!Again you have defied my will! Where have you gone to my daughter? This galaxy is dead. There is no place for you to go!All that is left is the **__**Shriva ...**_"

That had to be it! The Gem had gone to punish the Shriva for their part in Trigon's return. He focused his mind upon their home world and found it intact as were the 9 systems under their iron rule. Trigon opened his mind to all the places he had been in this galaxy to try and sense the presence of Raven. He found that she had been on numerous worlds and places he had destroyed but found no active presence of her. Trigon expanded his mind towards the outer cloud of stars that surrounded this galaxy and wondered – could his Gem have gone there? It bothered him somewhat that he had not drained the energy from them, but they were feeble sources compared to the rich feeding ground of the Galaxy's main body.

No, he answered to himself. The Outer stars remaining had no planets orbiting them, only rubble. Those stars themselves were tiny and weak – barely large enough for them to stay active. For that one reason even he had ignored them in his ravaging of the galaxy.

So. The Gem had not yet attacked the Shriva but it _must_ be only a matter of time until she did as they were the only star systems that still supported life. With no where else to go she must be in transit there as an Avatar, avoiding places and routes where Trigon had gone. This is the only way Trigon could explain being unable to sense his Gem.

With that thought Trigon decided that he would go to the home world of the Shriva and wait for Raven to make her appearance there. Sooner or later she MUST go there – there was no place left for her to go. As he left the slagged Earth and departed for their home world he thought to himself, "_**My Revenge my yet be within my grasp. If when I arrive there the Gem has already destroyed my demon-priests, so be it. They were near the end of their use to me anyway. Their planets are the only living places left in this galaxy for her to go and there I will finish my plans for her!**_"

**Chapter-18**

As if entering a portal Starfire and Raven flew into a realm onto its own that was virtually identical to Raven's Dark Place. Stunned at the unexpected sight they stopped after entering only a few yards and yet...

They floated in infinite space surrounded by deep red stars and dark cracked planets. Ethereal mountains and titanic slabs of rock formed broken paths hanging in space that wound in all directions. Behind them stood a stone arch where the path they were currently floating over ended. Looking through the arch and beyond it was more space. From what Raven could tell there were only 2 new things here that were not in her meditation place: The cracked dark star that the First Ones planet circled and a brilliant blue dot far in the distance.

"Welllll, this just gets better by the minute..." Raven sarcastically drawled. "That arch is obviously a portal and not just a gate to different areas here."

"Raven, just _where_ are we? Is this not the place you go for your deepest meditations? The times that I have joined you this far into them I would swear brought us to this same place!"

"It is. As far as I know that was only in my mind but now it looks like somehow there is a connection between my mind and this - place - if it even really _is_ a 'place'. I'm pretty sure that we have stepped out of the normal universe."

"_**You have my children. This place is a universe unto it self. It is outside of Time, the rest of the Multiverse, and even beyond the Void. It is part of what remains when there is nothing, part of what permeates and creates all that was, is, and ever will be. What is seen as a sphere outside is **__**merely**__** the **__**boundary**__** between what is and what isn't. As the other visitors whose remains you saw outside found out far too late you cannot penetrate what is not there.**_

_**They learned this lesson by almost destroying themselves but they did learn. What they attempted was not out of malice, only burning curiosity that found that there are boundaries that must be observed until one has grown enough to understand them and what they define. Because of this I did help them survive.**_

_**As they never again attempted to communicate much less enter here, unbeknown to them I kept Hope and clarity of Purpose alive in their hearts and minds. The Hope that gave faith that they would survive and see home again. The Purpose of building another ship to make it so. What I found most promising in them was that for the most part they had these strengths already within them. Very few were the times that they began to falter and needed my influence to steady them. Eventually, sad at leaving their comrades who had died behind but wiser they were finally able to leave the planet and from what I see within you Raven, I am pleased that they made it home.**_"

Starfire and Raven just looked at each other with a blank expression on each of their faces. "Thaaat really didn't help any" Raven drawled. Then it hit her :"What do you mean by 'seeing in me you know they made it'?"

"Truly. This raises even more of the questions!" Starfire piped in.

Raven paused and thought for a second then said "Are you saying that the ship outside came - from Earth? That it's pre-Azar vessel of my Mu?"

That caught Starfire by surprise, "I did not know that your people used ships for travel. Knowing you and what I learned of the Azar when I carried your essence I assumed that your people were always beyond that."

"As Azar they were. Remember in the earliest part of our history the Mu who would one day become the Azar were purely physical beings with no 'Powers' to speak of other than rudimentary telepathy and an uncanny insight into the physics of the Universe - they only learned of the Multiverse after their ascension to the next level began with Azarella and as our entire race changed. Space exploration was done to try and find answers - answers to questions such as how they came to be. The Mu knew that they didn't naturally evolve on Earth. Their studies had shown a "jump" in the path from animal to conscious rational being that had to have been artificially induced. Early in their explorations they reached Altair where they learned of the Ancients and their seeding of the Galaxy.

On Altair they also gained a glimpse into something - else. Knowledge that opened their minds to possibilities that went beyond the physical realm. I remember now pieces of a tale of a voyage of exploration to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy brought about by what they learned on Altair."

"_**Very good my child. Yes, before the Gift had awoke in your people they followed the path of the Ancients and traveled throughout the Galaxy in ships both great and small. Their mastery of the laws that govern their physical Universe was great. While physical galactic travel still took long periods of time, even then they **__**possessed**__** very long lives which made the furthest journeys tolerable. As I observed those who were here I learned that they had been in space for almost 1,500 of their years exploring the outer cloud of stars that surrounds this galaxy.**_

_**I saw in them the work of those you call the Ancients and more importantly saw that they carried within them the Gift. As I said before, there were times when they began to lose hope and in those times I aided them. That aid changed them in subtle ways, ways that may have quickened the seed within them.**_"

"So that's what started our ascension! In those tales of exploration it is said that one ship had been sent out farther than any before - or after. My people had a belief that - _something_ - was out there beckoning to them in their dreams. The ship itself had been thought lost but part of its crew eventually returned to Earth almost three entire generations after their vessel had begun its journey. Not long after their return the Mu abandoned using ships and instead were able to use the transport rings called Stargates that had been left behind by the Ancients. Up to that point my ancestors had not been able to activate them. The Records said that no one understood just _why_ the Stargates now worked. Five generations after that the ascension began and finished before a sixth generation was born. Down to the very last person the Azar had moved beyond the purely physical realm. While we still retained our bodies, our minds were freed from the bonds of the physical Universe. Many of the Azar became able to create portals. Not long after, we left the Earth for what was to become Azarath."

Starfire was looking more and more puzzled. "But what of Tamaran?" she said. "Nothing like that happened to us. The wise-ones who studied my planet's history showed a long slow rise from primitive creatures to what we were before Trigon destroyed them. Never has any Tamaranian shown _any_ of the abilities of Raven's people.

When Raven mentioned 'Stargates' I saw an image of one in her mind. My planet did have such a device but never did it show anything to let us think it was nothing more that a stone and metal ring. We had been taught that it was an ancient religious artifact or some kind of celestial calendar. Why had we not 'ascended' or changed as did Raven's people?"

"_**Your people did carry the Gift within them, it simply did not have time to fully grow. The world you call Tamaran was the last one visited by those you call the Ancients while the **__**birth world**__** of Raven's people was among the first. The Stargate they left with you would have worked perfectly - once the Gift began to fully express itself. If your world had more time they too would have completed the change. As it is, you, Starfire, **_**are**_** on the cusp of **__**ascension that will take you farther than you and Raven can ever understand – as you are now.**_

_**Your first experience of carrying Raven's spirit prepared you for what the Azar did to you later on. During your last battle against the Dark One the Azar began the change and soon it will be complete. Even now Starfire you have far more power than either of you realize. Once the two of you...**_"

Vauluosa paused a few seconds, then again spoke, now with a tinge of sadness in his voice; "_**I am very sorry to tell you this, the Dark One has just destroyed the planet you called Earth. The only systems that are now still alive in this Galaxy are those ruled by his minions.**_

"NO!" Starfire cried. "Oh Raven, it is too late?" She thought of all she had seen on Earth: The lovely blue skies and deep blue oceans and their myriad of inhabitants, the good time – and bad – she had there. Pizza and mustard... the last pizza and mustard left in the Galaxy was now only in Raven's trunk!

"I don't know Star, I don't know. What I _do_ know as that we are here. As to why..." she trailed off.

_**Interesting. Unlike all the other systems Trigon attacked, this one he has left mostly intact! Lifeless, yes. But its star still burns and most of its planets have been untouched by him. Even the planet you called Earth still remains intact though now its surface has been melted to a very great depth. Something you did in that system gave him reason to stop and he has now left it! The time is approaching for you to do what must be done if this Universe itself is to be saved.**_"

"That brings up our biggest question: Just _why_ have we been led here?" Raven asked. "The planet Nox told us of a second Prophecy and you also spoke of it. Just what is this 'Two who are One' that you spoke of? If Trigons destruction of the Galaxy is complete, what is left for us to save?"

"_**What is left for you to save? Everything! Not just this Universe but the entire Multiverse as well. I feel your helplessness but know this: Together you are NOT powerless against the Dark One. You feel that your path has been laid before you and you have no control over what happens as you are carried along it. That is not the case and never has been.**_

_**What you call Prophecies do foretell what will happen – but as with any, there is far much more to them than what they seem to say. They only foretell a very small part in the flow of probability in this universe, they are just one piece in a far greater story!**_

_**When you first fought Trigon you dreaded that it had been foretold you would bring about the destruction of the Earth and possibly this entire realm by freeing the Dark One from his prison. That did happened. However, as you found out that was only a small part of what actually happened.**_

_**You freed Trigon and he did destroy the Earth. Your prophecy seemed to have been fulfilled. What was NOT foretold was that you would also defeat your father and restore the Earth to as it was before Trigon destroyed it! Up to that point fate had chosen you to be the one to bring about what had to be but once it occurred you were given a choice – let the story end there or to fight and restore what had been lost. YOU chose to not let it end there.**_"

"But that was just the first-act in this play and it set the stage for what has since happened! Trigon HAS destroyed the Earth and this entire Galaxy! The Prophecy HAS been fulfilled to the letter and all because of ME!" Raven cried out. Her emotions began unleashing terrific forces as the utter calm inside Vauluosa was broken by the sound of distant rumbles.

"_**Please one called Raven – calm your mind, wait and hear me out. **__**Yes, my children, he has destroyed the Earth – but he has NOT destroyed this galaxy and furthermore it was NOT 'because of you'. The First Ones knew that one day **_**some**_** being **_**may**_** cause the Dark One to be freed. They did NOT know that it would be 'you' or that it would even really happen. It was not a fact, only a possibility. As for him destroying the Galaxy, yes he has rendered it all but barren of physical life, but not he has **_**not**_** destroyed it. Are you still so sure that there is no more to this **__**galaxie's**__** future?**_"

This was getting too much for Starfire, "Is not absorbing all life in the Galaxy the same as destroying it? Is it not so that were here to find out what could be done to stop the Trigon and return Life back to the Galaxy before all was lost?" she hotly said. "And..." now she was waving her arms in fury, "Just why do you keep calling us 'your children'? I am quite certain that we are not related and we are certainly NOT children!" she screamed.

Vauluosa gave what could only be a great sigh. "_**No, it is not the same. The Life-Force of this Galaxy still exists. It is constrained and controlled by Trigon now, but it still is here. What the Two who are One must do is nothing less than free it from his grasp.**_

_**You came here because of a second prophecy. It matters not, but there is no 'second Prophecy' what you seek is actually the first that was set down – Raven's Prophecy was actually second, formed by fate and probability.**_

_**About calling you my children, perhaps it is not entirely appropriate but also not entirely wrong. A part of the Gift that the Ancients spread through the Galaxy was a link to me that spans Time and Space. This link is what structured Raven's 'Dark Place' and gave at least a small measure of inspiration to the races that were given the Gift.**_

_**As to saying 'my child' – it is not a slight and do not take it as such. Do not forget that I am almost as old as Trigon! To us ALL lifeforms are almost infinitely younger than us regardless of their age or ability.**_"

"First, second, what does it matter? Whichever it is it still sounds pretty grim to me," Raven grumbled. "You still haven't told what this 'first' prophecy is either.

"_**It matters because the first was not exactly a prophecy as much as it was a possibility. IF the Dark One was freed then and only then would events lead here.**_"

Raven was getting impatient and black aura began to form around her. "You are talking in circles! Events that may or may not have happened DID happen and that brought us to you. Fine. Now what? _JUST WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT IT!"_ she angrily said.

"_**First, learn patience my child. Soon enough will you face another choice: this one is at the same time the darkest and yet also the most glorious any being in the entire Multiverse will ever face – even Trigon. The difference is, I know what Trigon would do and why. It is directly reflected in his actions. What is not known is how **_**you**_**will choose to act although whatever you do, I can understand the reasons."**_

Raven started to growl. "Grrrr! GET...ON...WITH...IT!" she said through gritted teeth.

"_**What you must first do is to again merge together as one being, the Two-who are One, but that you already guessed. However, when you first merged it was **__**necessarily**__** hurried and incomplete, the joining was broken as your power reserves dropped during the battle with the Dark One and became unbalanced. This time you must allow the merging to complete."**_

Vauluosa could sense growing concern in Raven and Starfire's minds about what that implied. At this he added, "_**I sense and understand your fear of giving up your individuality. Worry not. While the merging will be **__**permanent**__** it will not be as you think – the new being created by the joining will from then on be your 'native' form but you still may exist as mostly **__**separate**__** entities whenever you desire.**_

_**What is harder to explain is that even when separated you will still be of one mind yet whenever you wish, independent-thinking individuals as you always were. The two states exist as one and is actually much like the mental bond you share now but far deeper.**_

_**As for the 'Prophecy'... What the First ones did know – and **__**arraigned**__**, though exactly how I do not know – is that the same conditions or probabilities that would allow the Dark One to be freed would also give rise to a being that **__**transcends**__** even the First Ones themselves! When or even **_**if**_** it would happen they did not know.**_

_**The being would be born from the total union of two **__**separate**__** beings, both carrying a Gift. A union of not only bodies and mind but one of their entire **__**essence**__**. The being would be what you call 'ascended' – free from the **__**corporeal**__** bonds of matter as are the First Ones.**_

_**You Raven are one-half of such a being. Starfire, even though you have yet realized it are the other half thanks to the sacrifice of the Azar.**_

_**The Gift is a part of the First Ones themselves and what I can only describe as a part of the Multiverse itself. A Gift of nothing less than the ability to tap into the total **__**Lifeforce**__** of all that ever was, is, and will be.**_

_**The result would be a being with the ability to **__**transcend all **__**Time, Space, Energy, and Matter – something even the First Ones themselves do not have! This ability bestows an **__**awesome**__** power, responsibility, and burden: The power of Life and Death over all, of Creation and Destruction of all that is, was, and ever will be. With it, the responsibility and burden of knowing when and how to use it – and when not to. In short, the very Power that the Dark One himself seeks to attain! They can only hope that this Power will be balanced with Wisdom because if this being comes into existence there is nothing they can do to influence or control it.**_"

Raven looked at Starfire and slowly said in a low voice, "Wellll, up to that last bit, so far so good I suppose." Speaking to Vauluosa, Raven asked, "And we are supposed to use these powers to..."

For several seconds that seemed an eternity to Raven and Starfire, Vauluosa paused as if taking a deep breath. "_** As the Two-who-are One you **_**MUST**_** choose to utterly destroy this galaxy. Collapse it into the Void taking Trigon with it where he will be dissipated throughout the Multiverse never again able to reform his being anytime, anyplace or **__**anywhen.**__** All of his being, physical and non-physical - his **__**essence**__** as you say - is here in this galaxy spread throughout it in every piece of matter he has touched. He is woven into the very fabric of all space he has occupied and **__**traveled**__** through since being freed. Trigon and what is left of this Galaxy must be excised from existence.**_

_**This the First Ones were powerless to do, all they could do was disconnect him from this Universe by placing him into a lifeless realm split from this one. Without Lifeforce for him to draw on the First Ones hoped there he would remain until this Universe ends and is again absorbed back into the Void. I see in your minds that you already suspect where the closest point between this realm and that where the Dark One was imprisoned is located – very near the home world of the Shriva.**_

_**With the Power that the Dark One has gathered from the Lifeforce of this galaxy, doing this again is now impossible for them to do.**_

_**The total **__**annihilation**__** this galaxy is the only way to prevent the Dark One from leaving it to conquer the next – and the next, and the next until he controls all power in this Universe. If Trigon does this he will finally have enough power to ravage the entire Multiverse, the 13 realms of life will fall under his will and most likely also be absorbed into him. At that point the Dark One will be all there is.**_

_**The only reason that the Dark One has not already left this galaxy for the next is because he is looking for his Gem. He will not leave until his vendetta against you is finished. His rage towards you is his undoing and is all that gives you this chance to end his evil forever.**_

_**The Dark One is unaware of this Prophecy because all was prepared for this possibility long after he had been imprisoned. Even now his rage and arrogance blinds him to any thought of the possibility of defeat.**_

_**You **_**MUST**_** do this if you are to save all that is. As for what happens after – even the First Ones do not know. All will be in your hands.**_"

Raven and Starfire were aghast and stunned, their eyes wide in disbelief.

As they recovered from the shock of what they were expected to do, in dismay they wailed "**NO!** **That **_**CANNOT**_** be the only answer!**" together in one voice as they turned and fled in terror back through the portal, back to outside of Vauluosa. As they passed through the portal and entered the outside Raven instantly formed her Avatar and took Starfire into her. With all the power they could together summon they took off into the brilliant sky in a blazing black bolt of energy.

**Chapter-19**

Terror, rage, and confusion filled Raven's/Starfire's minds as her black raven Avatar plunged through space out from the Galaxy. She did not know where they were going, just – away. Away from the greatest doom that had ever befallen her – no, them. This was no longer just about the reign of destruction that seemed to always follow Raven, it now had spread to include Starfire in its relentless madness.

After a short time, from within her Starfire quietly said, "Raven my love, please stop. Just where is it we are to flee to escape what cannot be avoided?"

Raven slowed and finally halted her blind flight across space and as she assumed her human form released Starfire from within her.

As she faced Starfire Raven hung her head and sobbed "I know that I must stop my father. I know that in the end we can't just run from him. Even if we go to the furthest reaches of this Universe, in time it just won't matter. Only more races... galaxies full of races, will die.

Through me Evil incarnate has re-entered the Universe. Because of me that evil destroyed the Earth – twice – and has absorbed all other life in the Galaxy. And now, because of me I am supposed to destroy the entire Galaxy. Collapse it into the Void no less! Destroy it to clean up the mess caused by -- me!

But... to become a being such as Vauluosa described... to be able to annihilate galaxy with a thought... I don't want – I just can't face having that kind of power and responsibility!"

Starfire took one of Raven's hands in hers and with her other gently placed it under Raven's chin and raised her head until she gazed into her lover's damp violet-blue eyes.

"Dearest Raven my love, _you_ won't have the responsibility that goes with such power. _We_ shall carry that burden together. Joined as 'The One' I feel... I know... that we _can_ do what must be done. I will act as a balance to your more volatile side as you will counter my – how have you said it? - 'overenthusiastic' emotions.

As for all that has happened, I feel I understand what Vauluosa meant when he said it did NOT happen because of you. You were the means the Trigon used to make it so but it was because of Trigon's doing that you became what you were. Not yours. It was _not_ your choice or desire for these things to be, they were only his.

Your fathers manipulating your life and fate ended when you became The Portal and returned as the White Raven cleansed of all of his evil. He is no longer a part of you and because of your change, you are no longer a part of him. I believe it is because you are free of him that he does not know where you are – he can no longer sense you because there is nothing left of him inside of you.

This onerous task that lies before us _must_ be done. As you have said, if we do not only more will die. Once again, as I said to Redstar so long ago, we must become what we are. The greater the struggle against it the more it resists us. We must embrace what is inside us, let it become us and only then we will find what we are meant to be.

We now know what we are meant to be. Now it is up to us to embrace it and let it become us."

Raven embraced Starfire in a desperate hug. "Together with you my love, I think I can handle anything." She released her from the hug and a little more brightly added,. "Soooo what's such a big deal about having absolute power over life and death, creation and destruction, anyway?", she quipped.

"Well Starfire, if you're ready be become One with me through all eternity and save the Universe as an all-powerful being, we should get back to Vauluosa. We have a very bad piece of disease to cut out of space-time and throw into the Cosmic Toilet like crap from a bad burrito."

Starfire scrunched up her face and giggled, "Eww. That was a MOST unpleasant visual you just gave! No more of that please."

Together Raven and Starfire turned and looked towards the Galaxy, soon to be a memory belonging just to them and perhaps some other races elsewhere in this great cosmos who can look out into deep space from whatever distant part of the Universe they may live in.

Raven's thoughts drifted to those other beings. Never would they know that their existence depends on something happening in a different galaxy far far away. She wondered what they will think when in their far future the last rays of light from this glorious sight reaches them and then fades away as Trigon one by one consumed the stars.

Considering that when she and Starfire are merged they would be immortal, they just might make a Grand Tour across the Cosmos for a few billion years just to see how many pay attention to this show.

In Raven's blind flight they had traveled far beyond the Galaxy and Vauluosa, deep into intergalactic space. Whereas on the homeworld of the First One's the Galaxy had filled the entire sky, from here it occupied an area about the size of what the moon did back on Earth, well, did before a good sized piece was blown off in their last battle against her father. To their back however, the giant Andromeda galaxy loomed far larger.

"How odd" she thought, perhaps from being so far out and so much closer to Andromeda Raven could actually sense the presence of Life in it. To the left of it, a weak smudge that was the Pegasus galaxy, appearing almost the same size as their own. Even from there came the faintest glimmer of Life once again.

To the right of Andromeda was Centaurs-A, a very violent galaxy which was in fact the aftermath of a collision of two smaller galaxies long before the cloud of interstellar dust that would become Earth's star system even began to gather itself together. A fantastically glorious exploding blossom of colors, energies, and sounds crossing the entire spectrum from deep infra-sonic up through the visible, past gamma and into cosmic radiations. Violent jets of hard radiation and ionized matter of unfathomable power streamed out from both ends of its central axis and yet even there something – different - lived! Opening her mind further she could just begin to hear a chorus of Life from galaxies spread throughout the Universe, singing like a tremendous flock of birds in a distant tree. She gazed once more towards their own Galaxy and sensed only the blackness of her father and a trace of something barely not quite as foul – the Shriva.

That gave Raven pause and fixed her resolve: All this Universe, all that life, even where none should be! It _must_ be protected from her father. What Raven didn't suspect was that what was aiding her in this sensing Life was Nox. When they transferred their racial knowledge into her she gained their affinity for Life in all its forms. Now was the time for them to assert that gift through her to reassure her what must be done would be for a true reason, a just and good reason, not just to fulfill a 'Prophecy'.

"It was quite beautiful, was it not?" Starfire quietly said speaking of their home galaxy set amongst the backdrop of countless billions of others. "Yes, it was" Raven replied. "And it gave birth to many wonderful and beautiful people" she finished, gazing at Starfire.

For what it felt was probably its last time, a great black raven of shimmering energy streaked across space and time towards its destiny, this time one both known and unknown. Together, both Starfire and Raven wondered just what their new physical and Avatar forms would be like. In a moment of mutual vanity, Raven hoped that she would at least still have purple hair while Starfire hoped that it would still be long.

Their minds returned to the ominous matter at hand: In a very short time they whom their new being will be born of is going to remove a small piece of all Creation from the Universe. The matter of the Galaxy and the energy Trigon stole from it along with he himself were going back into the Void and from there, eventually the Multiverse. After that... Eternity would tell.

Chapter-20

Trigon was growing impatient with his demon-priests. Wail and protest as they might that they had searched all reasonable routes between Earth and their homeworld and found no sign of his Gem, he was certain that she was out there and would come to this pestilent place. What bothered him most greatly was that since her unexpected transformation after becoming his Portal he no longer had any link to her. Try as he might he had never again been able to directly enter her mind or sense her location.

For the first time in his existence he had a most uncomfortable feeling that something was stirring – something that may be beyond his control. "_**NO!**_" he thundered to himself. "_**NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY THREATEN MY PLANS NOW! WITH ALL THE LIFEFORCE OF THIS GALAXY WITHIN ME **__** I **__** AM NOW THE MOST POWERFUL BEING THIS UNIVERSE HAS EVER KNOWN! THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE GEM AND HER GREEN-EYED COMPANIAN CAN POSSIBLY DO TO STOP ME.**_" he rumbled on.

And yet... An ancient memory from his battle with the others of his kind haunted him. "Others of his kind," the words almost left a foul taste in his craw! The other First Ones as they came to be called may have been created the same time and same way as he but they were NOTHING like him. They could not see or understand that they were so far beyond the 'physical' life that was emerging that it was not just their right to play and tinker with these new forms as they saw fit, it was a purpose for them. _They_ had been created first and as the most powerful! This weak form of life emerging _must_ exist only for their amusement.

Trigon thought back to the beginning of it all and again the anger within him rose. "_**The fools! Their unreasonable belief that some of these insignificant new lifeforms may actually be superior to them! Superior to beings created at the birth of this Universe? Superior to beings created from the primal energies unleashed at the dawn of creation? IMPOSSIBLE!"**_ he grumbled to himself.

Their belief that at some time in the far future they may even evolve to equal or surpass the First Ones – in this they refused to see the danger of becoming their playthings. Instead they actually were willing to 'just let Time unfold as it will.' Insanity. Obviously HE must be the greatest of the First Ones if only HE could see what was required to be done. Subjugate this new life! Bend it to OUR desires to serve US! _That_ is what had to be done.

Instead the fools fought him, and not only allowed over half of this galaxy to be turned back into its primal energy just to stop and imprison him in that place that-was-not but they even caused the destruction of two entire nearby other galaxies to unleash enough power to create the rift. So much for their 'respect for all life'.

If he had has his way he expected less than a quarter of it would have needed to be destroyed for his experiments. With what he could have accomplished, by now the entire Universe and possibly even the vastness of the Multiverse itself could have been under his dominion.

There it was again – that ghostly memory, just on the edge of his mind it and still just out of reach. Could the other First Ones have actually done something to prepare against the chance of him returning to this realm? "_**NO**___" he again assured himself. To do so would have violated their precious "Let Life evolve and grow without interference no matter the outcome" beliefs. Of course, they had already violated that rule once before...

No!, he thought. As hard as they had fought against him the blind fools simply would NOT do that as it would mean tampering with the 'Natural Order of Life' just as he had been doing. What he did not know was that the First One's _had_ tampered with evolution – although _not_ just to fight him.

Trigon shook his massive head, "_**ENOUGH OF THESE THOUGHTS!**_" he growled. "_**THE GEM IS BECOMING MORE OF A PROBLEM THAN SHE IS WORTH!**_"

He raised his head high and proclaimed with his mind throughout the nine star systems of the Shriva: "_**HEAR ME MY PRIESTS AND SERVENTS AND HEED ME WELL. I GIVE YOU BUT TWO MORE CYCLES OF YOUR RED MOON TO FIND WHAT I SEEK! FIND HER AND YOU WILL LIVE TO TAKE WHAT IS LEFT OF THIS GALAXY AND DO WITH IT WHAT YOU WILL. FAIL ME AND YOU SHALL BE MY NEXT FEAST BEFORE I LEAVE THIS WRETCHED GALAXY FOR NEW FEEDING GROUNDS!**_" Opening his mind further to all places in the Galaxy he had been or could remember or envision he finished with a message for his daughter. "_**MY GEM! I KNOW YOU ARE STILL SOMEWHERE IN THIS GALAXY. WHY DO YOU HIDE? YOU KNOW THAT IT MATTERS NOT. IN TIME NO MATTER WHERE YOU HIDE FROM ME EVENTUALLY ALL WILL BE MINE – INCLUDING YOU. RUNNING ONLY DELAYS WHAT **_**WILL **_**BE!**_

I KNOW THAT YOUR POWER HAS GROWN GREAT, perhaps AS GREAT AS MINE ONCE WAS. YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE BECOME EVEN MORE STRONGER NOW – FAR FAR STRONGER THAN YOU. IS THAT WHY YOU HIDE?

I HAVE SEEN THE DESTRUCTION AROUND THAT PATHETIC PLANET YOU CALLED 'HOME' THAT YOU DID AND THE MESSAGE YOU LEFT THAT PLANETS PEOPLE WHEN YOU LEFT THEM, _**END THIS GAME - JOIN YOURSELF TO ME! BECOME A PART OF ME AGAIN AND REVEL IN THE POWER OF LIFE, DEATH, CREATION, AND DESTRUCTION OF ALL THAT THERE IS!**_"

**Chapter-21**

Raven and Starfire never heard Trigon's rant but Vauluosa did. He stored the broadcast of the Dark One for the ones called Raven and Starfire to review if they wished. He had already sensed that the Two-who-are-One had stopped their flight and reflected on what they had learned. They now accepted what they are to become, what they must do, and more importantly – why. Even now were on their way back to finish what must be.

Deep within Vauluosa the distant intense blue dot of light began to rapidly pulse and shift colors. Vauluosa responded back to the message, "Yes, the Two are returning and will be here shortly. It is time to return yourselves to this universe to finish what you have begun. Reach out to all those who have passed through the Metrion Zinthos and have those who will come join us to witness the birth of Life's ultimate form. Life in this Universe is about to take its final step, it's ultimate union of Consciousness, Space, and Time is at hand.

Raven's Avatar landed next to the derelict ship and Starfire emerged from Raven as she morphed back to her human form. They remained a few feet apart from each other as they began to slowly drift towards the entrance in Vauluosa, each savoring their last few minutes as individuals, neither saying a word.

When they reached the entrance portal Starfire stopped and was the first to break their silence. "Raven, are you ready to become The One? I for one am terrified." she quietly said.

Raven took her hand in hers and replied in her carefully measured voice "The One who will always be part you and part me for the rest of eternity? The One who will annihilate an entire galaxy? No, I'm _not_ ready!"

Raven broke into a half-hearted grin."But, did that ever stop us before?" she added as together they stepped through the portal and into Vauluosa.

**Chapter-22**

Both Starfire and Raven blinked. Unlike before, the vastness of Vauluosa was now filled with a soft bright white light like a fine mist one could almost feel and something else had been added – a powerful presence of Life much like her father's and yet much, well, lighter and happier was the only way they could describe it. The being they knew as Vauluosa was still there and yet... it wasn't. Vauluosa was now just one more mind in a background of many. They both felt in their minds the presence of a multitude of other minds all around them, filling all of what they called Vauluosa.

"Oookayyy, this is unexpected" Raven drawled. "Truly!" Starfire chirped. "The depressing darkness and ominous sky is gone!" With a embarrassed glance towards Raven she quickly added "I mean.." Raven just had to smile at her. "Don't worry, I know what you meant. I think this is going to be fun having some of your – spontaneity – when we are one."

Speaking to the Presence around them Raven asked "Well, here we are. Now what?"

A powerful voice answered them, compelling and yet without menace, "**Welcome. You carry within you the ****essence**** of two great races; the Azar and the Nox. Release them so that they may join those others who have moved beyond physical form. We welcome them to join us. We are the First Ones and many more who came later that have ascended to their final forms and already joined us. We are what lies beyond what you call the Metrion Zinthos**."

Raven started to answer them, "Trust me, we'd _love_ to get them out of our minds but how..." and was cut short as suddenly another mindstorm struck both of them. Stricken with pain they screamed and then with almost orgasmic relief the pain stopped as the knowledge and memories of the Azar and Nox poured from them as a nebulous blue-white stream which was rapidly absorbed into chorus of minds surrounding them.

Within seconds it was over and suddenly for the first time in centuries, in fact since the Azar had changed her and Starfire both of them felt – themselves. No more eerie feeling of, well, someone watching you over one's shoulder is they only way they could ever describe it.

A new warm and familiar voice greeted them, "Thank you my child. Thank you for bringing your people to their next plane of evolution."

"Arella!" Raven cried. "Mother, you are... here?"

"Did I not once say that I was always with you? Then it was only in my heart and thoughts but now, yes, I and the rest of the Azar are here. It is... most odd. I am myself as are the other Azar and yet – we are also one being. I think this is somewhat like you shall be. Most strange is the feeling that we have been here for eons because all the Azar who chose to make the passage before us are within us as well.

For now, to calm your fears the First Ones are speaking through me. You have done well my child. Know that as – unique – as this new existence is, we and all the others who have passed through the Metrion-Zinthos and ascended to this next plane are in awe of what you and Starfire are about to become."

"Awed!" Starfire cried. "Awed at becoming a super-being whose first act is to destroy a galaxy?"

Arella sighed, "No my child. You shall be much more than that. When the two of you merge you shall become something that this Universe has possibly never seen before. Your ascension will bring you even beyond where the First Ones, the Ancients, we the Azar, and others now stand – a Universal being who exists outside of space and time, outside of the Multiverse itself. We understand the terrible thing that you may do but we now understand so much more. Trust in me - us - when I say that what you will do does not have to be only destruction but can be creation as well.

The First One have opened themselves to us and shown us their history – and their great experiment that culminates with you two. They grieve for what all you and the others of this galaxy have gone through but as your mother, trust me – there _is_ a reason for what you two have been through. A truly astonishing reason. When all is done, you may yet be able to right the wrongs that have been done. As you make the transition from The Two into The One, all will become clear to what has led to this wondrous event. I pray you understand what is at stake and accept what has been done by us."

That one word 'us' caught Raven's attention, an instant later Starfire caught it too. " 'Us'... What do you mean by 'us' mother?" Raven asked.

The presence that was Arella paused and then with great sadness in her voice replied, "I mean 'us' as in the First One's, the Ancients, the Azar and especially - myself. I am so very sorry Raven. Sorry that I had to keep from you the true circumstances of what led to your birth, of just _how_ I came to be captured by the Shriva to raped by Trigon and begin his return to this realm through you. Soon, you will know the whole truth. I pray you will forgive me for not telling you all before this but I could not. The fate of the entire Multiverse required that you acted free of the knowledge of your true purpose, the very reason for not only your existence, _but of all advanced races in this galaxy!"_

Arella's voice steadied, "But, we dissemble. Trigon will soon tire of waiting for you and leave this galaxy to feed upon the next. It is time to begin the transformation. Are you ready?"

With one voice, both Raven and Starfire nervously replied "One hell of a time to start telling us _THIS!_" then tried calming themselves. They knew the Azar and Arella too well for all this to not have some _DAMN_ good purpose if they played a part in it...

Raven turned and took hold of Starfire's hand, "Ready my love?"

"Most certainly I am not and could never be! You partly at least, have been prepared for we are to become while I have not. When we last battled your father and became joined as one you know I was terrified of what you – we – were unleashing upon him. It was you who were in control while I was stunned in disbelief.

But, then I was unaware of what had happened to us almost until it was over. Now, with you at my side – and knowing what is coming – I know all will be well."

"Oookayyyy..." Raven drawled. "Here we go!" They took a deep breath, as they did each thought "Will this be our last?" Together they began reciting Ravens chant, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrionnn, Zinnnthoooosssss." Much more at peace again, "Let what is to be, begin."

Arella with what seemed like a chorus of others behind her told them: "Then embrace each other and clear your minds of no thoughts but of each other and we shall transfer the final spark that shall change Life forever."

Raven and Starfire lovingly wrapped their arms around each other. As Raven's violet-blue eyes looked into Starfire's emerald green eyes each became lost in the others as a point of light began to grow in each others pupils.

She helped Starfire calm and clear her mind of lingering thoughts of other things and matters – such as what was happening right now. The lights each saw in the others eyes began to take on a spectral form they recognized. As the lights grew they saw that they were translucent images of each other, as seen through the others eyes.

The images filled their pupils and glowing ethereal mist-like streams burst forth from them. The streams of consciousness flowed through into each other and mingled briefly before continuing on, flowing from one to the other.

As their minds mingled both Starfire and Raven shifted their thoughts to memories of their last tryst on Mars – that did the trick. As they relived the memories of their lovemaking the need each felt to be with the other consumed them. They kissed and squeezed each other tighter as their thoughts became only of each other and suddenly like a key opening a locked gate the last barriers were down as their minds fully joined into one.

An aura grew around them changing colors from green to blue several times and then settling into a pale blue-green. Their forms began to shift and soften then started to merge together. The pale aura surrounding them rapidly grew in intensity then exploded in a brilliant burst of light as they began to physically join into one being.

Raven/Starfire were now enclosed in a sphere of dazzling white light. Seemingly endless waves of Power from all those surrounding them and the Multiverse itself began pulsing into their partially merged being. As it did their form started fading in and out of existence in unison with the waves of Power that flowed into them.

Now as the two still partly separate entities experimented, each time they faded out and them re-appeared their appearance continually shifted back and forth between variations of their original forms. At times it seemed the new being born was in bliss and at others it was in agony but with each shift it seemed to borrow more and more from the best of their original shapes and was slowly becoming a truly blended single being.

The chorus that was Arella again spoke to them, "It has begun! Raven my child, and Starfire her soul-mate and lover, Yang to her Yin, as you seek your new form open you minds to us and let us give you the knowledge of those who have passed through the Metrion-Zinthos to the plane of enlightenment."

The being that was once Raven and Starfire freed a portion of their thoughts to the memories now starting to flow into them and suddenly, they saw the history of the First Ones unfold before them. In the space of a few heartbeats they learned how and why they had come to this point:

**Chapter-23**

They saw how the First Ones had adopted a physical form of light and energy, a soft glowing white shape of constantly changing tendrils of light flowing and constantly moving. Though they could interact with matter it was different than what they observed in the New lifeforms that the First Ones saw beginning in the Universe around them.

Whereas the First Ones manipulated matter simply by rearranging its atomic and sub-atomic structure and forces in the space surrounding it, these New lifeforms directly touched it and could handle it. These lifeforms made of matter were somehow bound to it in ways the First Ones could never be. This fascinated them and for long eons they passively observed Life's progress. They saw how simple lifeforms changed and became more complex. They watched how on countless planets life evolved from brutish raw existence to having growing intelligence even though this early in Time the most brilliant lifeforms were only dimly self-aware. They wondered just how far this evolution would go.

They also saw that in this galaxy at least they were the only intelligences _not _made of solid matter and definitely the only beings of Reason. For ages they debated amongst themselves this – inequality - and its significance. The matter had to be settled: Were they the _only_ non-physical life in this Universe? The only way to answer this question would be to search the Universe. It required the entire race to once again revert to purely non-corporeal forms and join as One to expand their now shared-mind to the furthest reaches of the Universe. For more eons of time this they did and their question was answered. They were unique and alone. It was at this time that they began to call themselves 'The First Ones' as they were still the only life capable of advanced thought and reason.

Disheartened, they returned to the Galaxy of their creation and found it changed – Life had exploded on planets throughout the Galaxy and some of it was beginning to consciously interact with its surroundings! Tool making and awareness of the planetary seasons had taken root. Now a new debate ranged among the First Ones – what to do about these Physical Lifeforms. Let them grow uninfluenced by them or guide it along in different ways for their interest and amusement. Most believed that it must be left alone to grow as it will but one of them had very different and strong ideas about the matter: "_**WE ARE SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHER LIFE IN THIS UNIVERSE! IT IS OUR RIGHT TO DO WITH IT AS WE PLEASE!**_" he firmly argued.

Raven/Starfire noted that the this dissenting being was referred to as 'he' – it was the first time that the First Ones had made any mention of gender. As if those giving this history to them caught this point an explanation was presented to them. Up to this point the First Ones _had_ no gender. The concept of 'Male and Female' to them was pointless as they did not reproduce and so the term served no purpose. However, in their observations of evolving life they were very aware of gender and the role it played in physical life. They also noted that generally what they referred to as 'male' beings tended to be the most forceful and aggressive. The one arguing for controlling and directing physical life was attracted to this difference and began to see itself in the gender-specific term as 'male' and more disturbingly demanded to be referred to as such.

To the very last of them the First Ones they were horrified by 'his' ideas and extremely distressed by 'his' assuming a very masculine and now solid appearance. This was too much for the First Ones and they began to refer to this aberration of their race as "The Dark One" for above all, 'he' was the only one of the First Ones ever to break from their group mind and exert independence in thought and action that ran completely against the others.

As individuals they may have differing opinions on matters and dearly loved endlessly debating them but until now they always acted as one through consensus - never did any totally break from the group will and act against the wishes of the whole. So aberrant and disturbing were these actions of the Dark One that the First Ones did something totally foreign to them up to this point: They explicitly forbade the Dark One against interfering with Life's natural evolution.

The reasoning the First Ones presented to 'him' was simple: They felt that this physical life was moving towards ever growing reason and for some of the races, non-physical-based powers. Given time, some of it may even ascend beyond physicality and be able to join them as equals in the Universe. They would no longer be alone and could learn from what these lifeforms had gone through and experienced in their long rise from simple organisms to ascended intelligences which was of course something the First Ones could never directly know. They were certain this knowledge would help them explain just what Life _is_ and what its purpose in the Universe was.

The Dark One was outraged. "_**EQUALS TO US? NEVER! THEY ARE BUT PLAYTOYS PLACED HERE FOR OUR AMUSEMENT THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. WE ARE THE FIRST AND ONLY TRUE INTELLENGENCES IN THIS UNIVERSE AND THAT IS HOW IT SHALL REMAIN!**_

_**NEVER WILL I ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF THIS CRUDE FORM OF LIFE BECOMING AS POWERFULL AS WE STAND TODAY AND HAVE BEEN SINCE THE DAWN OF CREATION!**_"

It was here that the First Ones made their greatest mistake – they cast out the Dark One from their midst. Their hope was that being on 'his' own the Dark One would reflect on what was at stake and eventually see the error in 'his' view of what physical life would eventually be able to give to the First Ones.

In this idea they were very, very, wrong.

In the greatest of the Dark One's contradictions, his response to being cast out was to not only permanently assume a very male form in his physical projection and thoughts but also give himself a name, another thing never done by any of the First Ones. He now called himself Trigon, his form was that of a great red bipedal, cloven-hoofed, blazing red four-eyed, branch-horned creature. For a being that despised physical life, viewing it as a crude and pale copy of those such as he, Trigon seemed to relish having taken on two of the very things that most distinguished physical life from beings such as the First Ones – gender and strong personal identity.

Trigon left the First One's homeworld and first went to an isolated and obscure group of star systems in one of the arms of the nearby spiral galaxy. He found a world there filled with the beginnings of life. Not even single-celled organisms had yet arisen but Trigon knew from the vast seas filled with the chemical pre-cursor building blocks of physical life he had found the perfect place to play.

Trigon set his will upon the seas of proteins for them to eventually form beings fashioned after himself. For millions of the planets cycles he tinkered with the protein structures until he was satisfied with the results and certain of what he had created would become in a billion or so more cycles. From time to time he may stop in to tweak this planets progress but for now he would let grow according to his plan. Before leaving it for his next project he gave the planet a name – Shriva.

From Shriva Trigon moved onto to other planets that already had developing lifeforms on them and practiced warping their genetics to produce bizarre twisted mockeries of their original forms. Thousands of developing worlds fell to Trigon's experiments and amusements. Those times that Trigon's experiments failed it was most often because the lifeforms he had created annihilated themselves. Amusing in its own way and also instructional – he would have to make certain that only one species on each planet would have dominance over all others otherwise it became a tiresome perpetual slaughter until none were left.

Other 'failures' however were of a different nature. From time to time he made his changes to some races but they did not develop entirely as he wished, a very few developed even to him very impressive powers but were also tainted by an overwhelming curiosity, an ingrained need to understand all around them – definitely NOT what he wanted. He desired unquestioning minions, not curious potential rivals. Left on their own their powers could have one day approached his own had he not stopped the experiments by draining the very considerable life force from them and their star systems. Trigon begrudged the First Ones one point – these experiments proved they were right – some of this physical life _did_ possess the potential to evolve into non-corporeal life such as they themselves! Trigon took note of this possibly useful outcome as he destroyed them.

During all of this the rest of the First Ones watched with growing distress and revulsion but also learned the intricacies of genetics same as the Dark One was learning them. This was a two-edged problem: The policy of non-interference by the First Ones forbade their stopping Trigon from what he was doing. Some of the First Ones argued "After all, is not the Dark One part of Life? Who were they to say that his actions might not be a part of what was supposed to be? Were they not gaining invaluable knowledge of the genetics and forced-evolution of physical Life from what the Dark One was doing? Knowledge that they themselves would never dare to explore in such a manner?"

And yet... More and more of them were growing uncomfortable with the horrors that the Dark One was creating. In no way could his creations be called a "natural progression of Life." Most disturbing was that it seemed that he was starting to be more and more focused in his experiments. Some of his creatures were developing various powers not yet seen in normal evolution. Powers ranging from being able to non-physically interact with matter using only their minds, the ability to fire energy bolts, shape-shifting, and numerous others. In all cases aggression was strongly enhanced and his creations all very quickly became the dominant lifeforms on their planets.

What the First Ones failed to grasp was that all that Trigon was learning he was applying to Shriva. He had not forgotten his first experiment and it was progressing nicely. Several civilizations had already arisen that combined impressive physical and non-physical powers. Both possessed razor sharp and devious intelligence. Very soon they would be forced into one race of one mind for as divided and aggressive as they were they will soon attempt to totally destroy each other and in one sense they shall – yet, _some _will survive.

Those that emerge from the crucible will be his crowning achievement, primarily non-physical beings of tremendous powers both in the physical and non-physical realms, all bent on doing HIS bidding and more importantly – able to absorb life-energy from other beings and transfer it directly into him, for he needed far more power if his plans were to succeed. If he was to force the rest of the First Ones to his way of thinking – or destroy them if they did not – he was going to need power far beyond what he and the First Ones now possessed. He would need the total life-energies of this entire galaxy.

In the time frame of Earth this went on for almost three billion years and by now over half of the existing lifeforms in this galaxy had been touched by the Dark One and twisted to his will.

What forced the First Ones to act was when the Dark One started attacking advanced races – advanced enough that they were journeying out into space. All debate on the matter was ended. It was clear that the Dark One was going to continue until all life in this galaxy was under his dominion and in all probability he would continue on to the next galaxy and others when this one had been exhausted. The Dark One had to be stopped.

Now the question was – how? The First Ones could not be injured or "killed" in usual sense of the words and there had never before been any reason to actually stop any of them from doing what they wanted. The First Ones were not sure that it was even possible to stop or restrain one of their kind: Any single one of them was not exactly located in any one point in space but rather were more a part of the local fabric of space itself. Just 'where' one was was more of a matter of where you had focused most of your attention within certain spatial locations. Travel over stellar distances could either be done by defocussing oneself and projecting to another place you had already been to or by keeping your focus and simply 'moving' it through space to where you wanted to go. Within the galaxy distance was irrelevant because speed was irrelevant. One was not moving matter – only ones focused mind.

That left only one option: Somehow gather all that is the Dark One and remove him – by now even the First Ones had taken to referring to the Dark One by his gender though they still refused to use the name he had given himself - from this Universe. Imprison him in a different dimension or 'fold' in space-time. As to how to do it – that is what terrified them the most. Because the Dark One – and themselves – were a part of the galaxy's local space that meant the only way to bind all that was the Dark One would be to collapse the Galaxy to a singularity and place the aftermath into the resulting fold in space-time. Devoid of all energies, from inside such a place he should be powerless to escape until the Multiverse itself ended taking him... and them... with it.

Just two problems with that plan. How would they gather enough power to collapse the galaxy and ... what about themselves? Would they have to destroy themselves as well to save the Universe? They too were a part this galaxy's space. No matter, what had to be done had to be done even if it meant their end.

The answer to both questions was two nearby energetic galaxies. So intense were the radiations throughout them that materials that made up physical life could never come into being and their search for non-physical lifeforms there proved them totally lifeless. If they could be brought into collision with each other the resulting apocalyptic release of energies could be directed to this galaxy and used to force the collapse. As for the rest of the First Ones, it would almost be as it was in the beginning of this Universe when they were created. The vast fluxes of energies would be a welcome change from the coldness of physical matter.

That settled, the First Ones gathered themselves and in one immense bolt of power projected themselves out from their homeworld and this galaxy toward what would become later known in the far distant future to the inhabitants of a small blue world as Centaurs-A.

Trigon of course sensed the tremendous release of energy from their departure and focused his mind upon it. "_**SO THE REST OF THEM ARE LEAVING THIS GALAXY ARE THEY? THE WEAK FOOLS COULD NO LONGER BEAR TO WATCH MY GREAT WORK AND BECAUSE THEY CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP ME THEY DECIDED TO LEAVE THIS GALAXY TO ME! THEY HAVE NO IDEA OF THE DEPTH OF THEIR FOLLY – WHEN I AM FINISHED HERE I WILL HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO BE LORD OF THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE! THEY SHALL HAVE **__**NO**__** PLACE TO RUN TO AND IF THEY DO NOT ACCEPT ME TO LEAD THEM THEM THEY SHALL BECOME MY NEW AMUSMENTS!**_" In Trigons blind arrogance never did it cross his mind that the First Ones were taking action against him.

At this point the feeling of the knowledge became, well, 'excited' was the only way Raven/Starfire would interpret it. The First Ones had succeeded in causing the collision of the two galaxies and energies within them was building to where they would soon be able to direct it against their home galaxy and begin the its collapse. Then they found something – different.

Or rather, _it_ found them.

Chapter-24

The First Ones were gathering and guiding the energy being built up for the removal of the Dark One from their Universe when suddenly every single one of them was bathed in what they could only describe as a 'Presence of limitless Being'. This feeling was totally foreign to them as they _knew_ that they were the ultimate beings in this Universe. Ofttimes the First Ones had debated whether there could be further ascension beyond their current plane of existence, they had agreed it was a possibility but with no means of reproduction and ergo, evolution, they had no idea of how to do it. The extremely startled First Ones ceased their work as it spoke to them. In the First Ones home galaxy Trigon too was included in the contact and was no less startled and dumbfounded.

"Hello there. Excuse me for just popping in from outside your little Multiverse but just what do you think you are doing? Do you know that you could destabilize your entire Multiverse by this playing with forces you obviously do not fully understand?"

"Who – what – are you?" the First Ones replied. They were caught completely unprepared for encountering _any _ being here much less one such as this. "I am called Res'al and I am an Eternal but that is beside the point. You did not answer my question – _what_ do you think you are doing?"

Trigon response was one of anger and outrage which Res'al sensed immediately. When Res'al had linked with their minds that one had just realized that the others were preparing to fight him. On top of that this angry one was truly incensed at the idea of a another being more powerful than he was. Res'al knew where _that _was going...

Before Trigon could even begin to speak his rage his current focus of being was taken out of time and placed into a pocket dimension until Trigon broke from his physical Avatar. By the time he realized that would be his only escape Res'al would be finished with the rest of the First One's and it would not matter anymore.

The remaining First Ones conferred among themselves: Through Res'al they saw what it had done to the Dark One. In an instant it had somehow created a bubble of non-time around his Avatar and removed him from this dimension! Here was a being as far beyond them as they were above viral lifeforms. Their firm belief that they were _not_ the ultimate plane of Life was right! Here was proof that even they or other life may be able to evolve beyond their present state. Though the First Ones were unaware of it at the time, Res'al of course knew their thoughts as they decided what to do but kept silent until they finished.

For the first time in their history, there was no debate. A unanimous and immediate decision was made – one that would forever change the course of this Multiverse. As one they opened their minds to Res'al and showed it the Dark One's horrors and what he would end up doing if not stopped. They showed Res'al what they planned to do about him. Then they asked about Res'al itself and their own future. And, could it please explain what it meant when it said 'From outside this Multiverse'.

Inwardly Res'al smiled. It was pleased that they had the wisdom to freely speak the truth about what led them to do this. It even told them that their cheeky curiosity intrigued it and it was quite impressed at just how quickly they understood (in their limited way) just _what_ Res'al was.

For an instant Res'al stepped out of time and left them to consider the situation: In a very rare move, it actually sympathized with the First Ones. Ordinarily Eternals just let events within the space-time bubbles follow their own course simply because it was no concern of theirs. Eventually the bubbles went away and Eternity for them continued on as usual. This one however was different, not only in being a linked cluster of realms – a rare event indeed – but mainly because of the possibility of these First Ones being able to assist in the ascension of another lifeform to join the Eternals. While they were created at the peak of their evolution and would progress no further, they did have the spark needed for the final change – it was just not meant for them. Res'al decided to help them and formulated a plan. That done Res'al returned to the instant in their space-time when it left.

"I understand your dilemma and your solution to it but cannot allow you to create a dimensional-fold to imprison your 'Dark One' by collapsing that galaxy – yet. What you call your Universe is not all that is. This universe is but one of thirteen joined into a Multiverse. What you've done here has created a tear in the boundaries that separate them and if it is not controlled soon the thirteen will briefly merge into one and shortly after that event the combined mass of the merged Multiverse will trigger a total collapse of everything back to the quantum mists from whence it came far before its time _should_ end.

I shall create the fold and gather all of your "Dark One" into it to be imprisoned - but _not_ destroyed. I shall cleanse your galaxy of all he has changed – but not all he has done. In this place I shall reduce the tear in the fabric of space-time to a stable portal for your use, in time you will figure out how to use it. Think of it as a gateway to anywhere in the Multiverse you care to go. The other twelve realms shall be opened for you, though many are mostly devoid of life you will find they are nonetheless – interesting.

All this shall be done only because it is in the interest of my race and well, frankly, interesting in and of itself. It is all too rare that one of us comes across something _new_. For you, there is a price for what I do: Use the knowledge you've gained from the Dark One's experiments to seed new life into that galaxy after is has been cleansed. This new life is to contain a part of _you_. There is a unique spark of Life within you that holds – interest – to my race... well... me at least, and it must be given a chance to grow.

I said that not all the Dark One had done would be erased. One race, the only one that your Trigon truly created, will remain but be isolated for a time while you do what must be done. The race called Shriva are to be left alone. It is not for you to take action against them – others shall arise from your work to finish what you've began.

You asked about your future. Know this: For now you are the peak of what Life can produce in these thirteen realms. One of the reasons I decided to interfere with this bit of space-time is because in the thousands of these bubbles of space-time that we Eternals have seen form, grow, and then fade away again into the Mists, NEVER have we encountered a race such as you. Created as you were, the evolution of your race can go no further, your ability to evolve never existed. But – there is a chance that some of the Lifeform's you guide _will_ surpass you and give rise to another Eternal.

If this is to happen then your Dark One will one day have to be returned to this realm for he also carries a vital spark within him – one different from your own that must also be introduced into Physical life. He will of course probably resume his quest to rule all there is and no doubt once again innumerable races will suffer from him.

Sorry about that but it cannot be avoided. His contribution is vital. You just might get lucky and when this is done as far as anyone will remember none of the destruction and suffering happened.

That from him and you will be combined into a life which will in turn join with yet another. That combining shall be the final catalyst to begin the ascension of the newest Eternal. When it begins, aid and instruct the One, let it know all you know so it will understand. Let it know that we shall greet the newest Eternal with open minds and welcome it to all there can be. Above all be certain to let it know how it came to be and _why_, for it's genesis will no doubt be cruel. An explanation will be in order if it is to understand and accept the costs as – worthwhile."

Res'al read the consternation in the minds of the First Ones. Many of the First Ones were very uncomfortable with all this but understood what they had been told. Understood too well. The presence of multiple universes not to mention these 'Eternals' certainly changed things and intrigued them but – 'price?' - that raised disturbing implications. And then that line 'as far as anyone will remember none of the destruction and suffering happened', just what was _that_ bit about?

The First Ones asked, "Price? What if we do not succeed?"

"All I ask is that you try. If the genesis is not to be, oh well, so be it. Do this and your Multiverse will run its full course and still be better in many ways than it would be if you do not try - if only for a time until your 'Dark One' is returned. Be assured, one way or another the Shriva will eventually free him. If you do _not_ give it all your effort... Well, bubbles are such fragile things, so easy to – pop..."

The First Ones made their decision: They would do all they had been asked.

Res'al returned a furious Trigon to the Galaxy. _**"**__**WHAT**__** DID YOU JUST DO?"**_ he spat out._** "WHAT IN CREATION ARE YOU AND HOW **_**DARE**_** YOU ATTEMPT TO CONTROL ME!"**_ he raged.

"Oh be quiet you bellicose bumpkin" Res'al told him as. It expanded its mind to encompass the Galaxy and Changed it. Except for Shriva, every star of every planet Trigon had ever visited went nova erasing the stars and their planets existence – including the star the First One's had created for their homeworld. Planets outside the range of the nova's shockwaves were sterilized by intense radiation and debris that scoured their surface hundreds of miles deep. Just to let Trigon have an idea of who – _what_ – he was dealing with Res'al had fed the images of it all directly to his mind.

After witnessing the cleansing of the galaxy in an instant, an astonished and for once speechless Trigon was gathered, bound and thrust back into a sub-dimension of this realm. Res'al then severed the connection between them and in essence created a barren private universe for Trigon to call his own. This time because _all_ of Trigon had been bound together and imprisoned there was no escape for him until it was time for his part to be played in the Plan that Res'al had in mind. Shriva was enclosed in a barrier and a dense nebula that blotted out all possible contact with the rest of the galaxy until it too was needed.

'My part in this is done. Now it is up to you to do yours. You have been given a clean canvas to work with. This Universe – this Multiverse - is still young and there is more than time enough for you to rebuild your galaxy. Act wisely. This galactic collision you've created is now stable and can be your home if you wish since the one you created for yourselves had to be cleansed as well. Sorry about that but it had to be, everywhere your Trigon had been had to be tided up. Of course, you can always re-create it if you have need of it. If your efforts succeed, we will meet again in your far future. Until then, toodles."

With that, Res'al left this Multiverse. To the last one of them, they mentally turned to each other and the flabbergasted First Ones thought, "_What an odd creature!_" With a collective mental shrug, they began their work to rebuild life in the Galaxy. Life that would be subtly enhanced to develop abilities in only generations that would normally take millenniums.

Chapter-25

Here the narrative paused: By now their transformation was almost complete but the partially combined Raven/Starfire were furious! Their form shifted from incomplete humanoid to one much like Raven's winged Avatar but this was made of burning energies dazzling to behold. Blazing tendrils of Power flowed from its wings as it spread them wide, its eyes burning with a deep emerald fire. All of Vauluosa trembled with their wrath as they raised their bird-like head and vented their rage: "This death and destruction has all been _planned_ and _guided_ by YOU! Tamaran, Earth, Nox, and BILLIONS of other planets sucked dry by Trigon as part of an EXPERIMENT by you to create a being you call an 'Eternal'?

Mother! You knowing – _willingly_ – aided in freeing my father! How could you be part of _this? _Did you also _enjoy_ LETTING Trigon impregnate you as well as part of all of this 'Grand Plan' so I would be born?_"_

The bubble of space-time that was Vauluosa began to crack and it cried out in pain as the First Ones and the other ascended beings retreated in fear from what they had created. Only Ravens mother Arella stayed to face what her child had become. The being born of the merged Raven and Starfire sensed the other retreating and stopped local Time freezing in place those fleeing, fully aware but unable to move they trembled at the Powers this creature was beginning to unleash – Powers such as this control of Time that were already far beyond their own.

"Raven! Starfire! -Please I beg you, stop!" Arella cried out. "Think! All that has been destroyed can also be restored if you desire it so! What you did once for Earth after your father destroyed it you can now do for this galaxy."

Raven/Starfire heard her words and slowly stayed their rage. They still held the First Ones and the others in Time as Arella quietly continued, "As to my part in this – No, I did not knowingly give myself to Trigon. You know that I was not born Azar but like most of those from Earth I did carry within me the seeds of the Ancients. What you know of my earlier life and what brought the Azar to me is true. I was the final pawn the First Ones played through the Azar for it was _they_ who allowed Trigon to partially enter Earth's physical realm and rape me."

"And yet you hid the truth from me – us! Just when did you find out that you had been set up?"

"Yes, I did and I hope you can forgive me for that. As you grew inside of me the Azar changed my being and in turn, yours. While I had been born what they called an 'Advanced Human' they needed to fully awaken my latent potential to cause the first stage of Human ascension – to become one of the Azar. Only then would the joining of Trigon's seed and that of the Azar be completed to result in – you. Only after your birth did they explain what they had done to me and why."

"You accepted this? Did you know just _what_ their plan was – how many worlds would fall if it were to run its course?"

Arella sighed. "At first, no. Just like you I was furious once I understood that I was the second to last step in the extinguishing of all life in the Galaxy and even tried to end our existence. My child, just as you always had to live with the knowledge that you would be responsible for the destruction of Earth and Azarath, so did I as well. I my mind I felt more responsible than you because _I_ was the one who _willingly_ joined Brother Blood's cult of Shriva. _I_ was the one who volunteered to be the 'Vessel of Power' for their foul ceremony. Even though I knew that my life and that of our ancestors had been manipulated to bring all this about, it still had been MY choice to take the path I did – as much as the Azar had tinkered with our genetics they could not directly force us individually into the necessary actions. For reasons I still do not understand, one of the keys was that the Vessel had to _willingly and totally of their own accord_ accept the seed of Trigon.

Of course the Azar prevented all my attempts to end our existence while I carried you. Eventually I began to understand that the guilt I felt was pointless. If it had not been me who chose the be the beginning of Trigon's return Fate or possibly – something else - would have simply chosen another because all the necessary events were coming together and could not be stopped. If I had been stronger – if I had not fled from my home into the City, things would not have turned out this way _at this time_ – but would have still come to this within at most one more Human generation. _You_ would still have been created and would still be standing here. All that has happened, all this destruction, would have still occurred.

The only thing that gave me the strength to see this through was the assurance that once you and you lover were joined you would have the power to undo all the terrible things Trigon had done – if you still had any interest in this realm. I hoped that by doing all I could to love you and support you that you would develop the strength of character to understand what you would become and to use – and not use – your abilities wisely.

That was the hardest part of all this – keeping from you the knowledge that within you lay not only the destruction of all Life in the Galaxy but also all Hope for that that Life as well. As small as it was, only my support of you would give you the key – the desire – to restore all that would be destroyed."

The eyes of the winged Raven/Starfire dimmed from blazing fire to a softer green glow as they began to finally understand all they had been told so far and started to see beyond the events that had swirled around them in a fell maelstrom of death and destruction. The furious ripples in space-time that had been assailing Vauluosa then calmed.

For a moment the great fiery bird lowered its head and lowered its wings as they reflected on what they had been told. Finally, they understood that they were _not_ just being swept along by matters beyond their control but were in fact always the ones with the final say in what all this would lead to, that even if the path was not of their choosing the final destination would be – once they knew what it was.

Again raising its head the half that was Starfire now posed a question to Raven's mother; "All this concerning Raven is now fairly clear but what of _my_ part in this? How was it that _I_ was chosen to be the second-half of what we have become? I sense no ascended Tamaranians among you. What of _my_ people?"

As Arella began to reply a beatific calming presence descended throughout Vauluosa and surrounded Raven/Starfire but seemed hesitant to join with them. It sensed the barriers that the incomplete Raven/Starfire hybrid had raised as it palpably probed their minds. Seeming to give what they could only call a mental shrug it gently and effortlessly slipped through the barriers in their minds and addressed them.

"I can better answer that." spoke a soft voice in their minds.

Res'al had returned.

Chapter-26

"Hello there. Um, before we continue with this little session I have a question for you: Have you thought of a name for yourself? I think it's a rather important point if we are to have a decent conversation, don't you? I mean since you are becoming a new being it's a little clumsy to keep referring to you as Raven-Starfire or Starfire-Raven and 'hey you' is just wrong... Ah, by the way, it will also finish your rebirth. You two are still there of course but you're just this one step away from becoming... someone else."

That stopped Raven/Starfire dead in their tracks as they sputtered out a "Who...? what are...? who the fu... ???" before becoming silent in their surprised shock at this most unusual question coming from... what?

With all these revelations coming at them neither the Raven or the Starfire portions of them/her had given the slightest thought to _who_ they were to become. Until now everything had been about _what_ they were becoming and the rather devious reasons behind their creation. It made simple sense that the last step in their evolution would be their final and total acceptance of what IS.

They had known from the beginning that this could not be avoided. Now finally they could admit to themselves that it was pointless to try and stop it, to wish these events and changes would just go away. What better way to seal that acceptance than to choose their new name and identity.

After only a very brief exchange between themselves they raised their head high and looked themselves over as if critically examining their form still enveloped in its burning aura. Then, if ever a titanic blazing beaked bird made of pure thought and energy could smile, this one did.

With a single powerful voice it replied, "Yes. Yes we have. Because we arise from among the ashes of a dead galaxy, we shall be... **Phoenix!**"

The instant Raven/Star had said their new name they again spread their wings wide and there was a final massive and prolonged burst of energy surrounding them which then slowly faded to a soft green glow. As the burst faded the winged Avatar was replaced again by a humanoid form. The transformation was completed.

For only the third time in all that ever was, will, and could-be, a new Eternal had been born.

Phoenix slowly opened her eyes which glowed with a fierce electric blue fire. Small coronas of energy from her soft green aura caused a rather stunning effect of an electric wind that blew her long violet tresses of hair behind her head.

She opened her mind and looked about her: Interesting. Arella, Vauluosa, and all the others seemed almost frozen in time! She sensed their thoughts which to her went on at a glacial pace. Only just - _now_ – did Arella even begin to _see_ the start of that final flash. Phoenix now focused her attention to this latest being to join the party.

"**I.. know you... You are Res'al are you not?"** Phoenix asked.

Far on the other side of the Galaxy Trigon for the first time became fully aware of what had happened as he now sensed not only the Raven and Starfire portions of Phoenix _and_ the First Ones but also that meddlesome Res'al who had banished Trigon to that pocket of No-Time/No-Space that had been his prison. The fact that the individual life-force signatures of Raven and her green-eyed lover somehow seemed weaker and different than he would have expected did not override his confusion and anger.

"_**NO!"**_ Trigon bellowed. **_"THIS CANNOT BE! THEY LEFT THIS GALAXY LONG LONG AGO!"_** Trigon gathered his will and entire being and in a bolt of devastating fury that left the planet Shriva a molten ruin flung himself across space and time to where he now knew them to be.

As his demonic Avatar blazed across the galaxy Trigon seethed at these events. He raged at how the First Ones seemed to have done what he thought was the unthinkable for them – interfered with Life. _That_ explained those damned Azar! Now he saw how convenient – too convenient -- it was for them to exist and be manipulated into the creation of his Gem.

Raven, the First Ones, and Res'al all together was definitely NOT a good thing for him. Even more disturbing was that while he could now sense Raven and Starfire– something was not right about it. _**"It's the Gem's green-eyed witch lover!" **_That was it! Somehow they had once again merged into one and from what he was sensing _this_ union might permanent! Their life-force signatures were still in a flux, wavering between their own individual signatures and then syncing together into one. Now less and less of his Gem and her lover were coming through and then suddenly they were gone and something... different took their place.

Astonished, Trigon stopped and dropped back into realspace to think about this development. _**"What trickery is this? This new presence I sense... It carries the essence of the Gem and her lover and yet is somehow greater than the two together!"**_ What Trigon sensed was much MUCH more than when he first fought them as One – their power was unfathomable even to one such as he! Even though he had absorbed almost all energy and Power in this galaxy Trigon knew that he would only get one shot at destroying them before they threw him back into that damned prison realm. For the first time in his existence he began to know fear.

With that thought Trigon resumed going to where he and his race so long ago called "Home". As he traveled he formulated his plan: When he arrived there would be no talking, no gloating. Just all out attack and destroy the first instant he was close enough to do damage. Once he destroyed them all, then there would be time enough to gloat over and savor his victory. And victorious he would be!

So. The cowardly First Ones had come back to this dead galaxy. Fine. How _**DARE**_ they continue to challenge his _**RIGHT**_ to do what _**HE**_ wanted! Their adopted new home galaxy was going to be his next target after this one anyway. By coming here the First Ones just saved him the trouble of hunting them down.

Now, how to attack them? If he used energy bolts against this group he knew he would lose. Collapse space-time around them? Too slow – even the First ones could escape _that_. Then it hit him – Leech. Yes, _THAT_ should do it. It should be perfect! Throw a leech field around them all and absorb all their Power in an instant! It was a huge drain to initiate it but with what he gained from bleeding dry the First Ones would easily replenish what he used and whatever the Gem and her lover had become should give him more than enough to deal with Res'al. Hmm. Res'al. Just _what_ was it and how did it fit into all of this? No matter. From what he sensed as he approached his targets once he had their Power he would be the strongest being in the Universe!

Almost there he allowed himself an early gloat, **"WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH THIS MEDDLESOME GROUP ENTIRE GALAXIES SHALL BOW DOWN TO ME OR PERISH IN A SINGLE THOUGHT!**

He had no idea just how wrong he would turn out to be.

Chapter-27

"Helllooo Phoenix." Taking in her final form Res'al was rather taken aback. Phoenix had chosen an appearance that was stunning combination of their two original forms. They had picked an outward age of about low 30's Earth-years. Voluminous tresses of violet hair cascaded down her back ending at their perfectly rounded butt. Her 3.8-2.6-3.6 hourglass shape was clothed – barely – in a very erotic dark purple Tamaranian battle harness made mostly of thin straps with a deep V-shape in front running to her crotch that left incredibly little of their stunning silvery-bronze skinned form to the imagination.

Starfire's jeweled bracer's still covered their forearms, the jewels in them like fiery red and green opals as was the bindi on her forehead. A shimmering dark blue hooded cloak covered her back and Raven's red-jeweled belt was still with them, slung low around her waist while high boots with intricate patterns tooled into them completed the outfit. As the energies flowing from her softly blew her hair and cloak behind her Res'al regained some composure; "I know we just met and you've just been born, but I have just GOT to say... Babe! You look spectacular!

In my wanderings through an eternity of over twelve thousand universes and dozens of multiverses I have taken on the form of countless physical Avatars male, female, and other, and never thought twice about it. I have seen variations of life from the most crass and grotesque to the infinitely sublime but you are simply the most beautiful being I have EVER seen!"

Phoenix caught a fleeting wave of a very familiar emotion from Res'al as they presented their new form and identity before it was pushed deep into the background of its mind. Res'al again paused for a moment and sounding rather embarrassed continued, "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I just said that. Its just that, well, somehow I find your appearance rather – disturbing. Disturbing in a way I can't quite describe but definitely think I like...

We Eternals do not possess a sense of personal appearance. Even your First Ones can be seen as 'Beings of Light' whereas we are simply are what we need to be which most of the time is – nothing. Buuut, after seeing you, there just may be something to this idea of a personal self-image. Even now your appearance as one of us has caused quite a stir within the Commune.

But I dissemble. To answer your question correctly, no and yes. Yes I am the Eternal Res'al, but you only know _of_ me – you do not _know_ me. But now you do."

With that Res'al opened its mind to Phoenix: Sudden as a thunder bolt a tremendous amount of knowledge entered them. Stunned for a few seconds they then began to marvel as it began to sort itself out. She saw and began to understand just what she had become. An infinity of endless possibilities of existence were opened to her but first, one nagging little loose end...

"Trigon approaches. Ok, so I'm here. A new Eternal has been born! So what? You _knew_ that all this was going to happen. Have you thought about what I'm supposed to do now? It's obvious to me..."

Phoenix stopped short and more like Raven thought, _"How very strange – the two of us __referring__ to ourselves as one. 'I' and 'me' instead of 'she' and 'we' ... __Thiiiiis__ is going to take a little getting used to"_ she mentally drawled.

Then there was a slight personality shift in her thoughts: _"Truly! It is a most – odd – experience. And yet Raven, even as One we can still converse as each other! Glorious! I had feared that after we were joined that we would no longer be able to talk to each other as ourselves."_

Another personality shift:_ "Starfire, you know that when a person talks to themselves it's not considered a good sign when they answer back with a different mind..."_

With a last giggle Starfire said _"I think I begin to understand why Res'al seems – so unusual to talk with. __H'mm."_ Suddenly the two snapped back into Phoenix and in what actually just an instant she resumed where she had left off:

"I know that you have some idea of what is going to happen next. What am I supposed to do next in this little play you and the other Eternals have laid out."

"Do? You 'do' whatever you want to. If you want to tell these others that they are on their own – do it. Of course they will very shortly die – yes, even ascended beings such as they can be destroyed - and eventually Trigon will either absorb all life in this universe or at best permit a tiny fraction of it to exist to serve his whims, but that really is no longer our concern now, is it? Life _is_ what it _is_, isn't it? You are no longer a part of this existence. If you want to just leave this realm and go elsewhere, we can. There are other universes for us to play in even now and an eternity of more to come.

But... If you decide to stop your father and put right what he has done – you can. What I _will_ say is that I suggest that the decent thing to do would be at least to stop your father so what is left has a chance live. I should warn you about the 'Putting Things Right' bit – don't get carried away and try to 'improve' anything. It usually doesn't turn out like one plans...

Leave it as it is, destroy it for fun, or fix it. Your choice. Personally I would prefer to choose life. It's more entertaining than dead lumps of matter.

As to this all being just a bit of entertainment for us, something laid out as a play and under our control – I showed you my mind. You know better, you just haven't had a chance to sort through things yet. You know that the rest of the Eternals had nothing to do with this and in fact didn't care one bit – up until you became one of us."

Res'al caught a fleeting thought from Phoenix. Even before she had a chance acknowledge it to herself Res'al did sounding a bit insulted at first "Entertainment for _me?_ Hardly! I did not sit back and watch this galaxy evolve – oh yeah babe, real excitement there... Hate to tell you this but there are a lot better ways to amuse oneself through eternity then tracking the events in one tiny universe.

As to being planned or controlled: Bzzzt – wrong again. All I could do was set the stage and raise the curtain. How things proceeded once set in motion I could not and more importantly _would not_ attempt to control even if I did follow what happened here.

Above all, _you_ were and still are the biggest unknown. Contrary to what your mother said, it was more probable that you would not even be created. When the First Ones created the race that you call 'the Ancients' they were the first to bring together the abilities of non-physical and physical beings and there ended what the First Ones could do. From there it was all up to what physical Life itself could do. It was the Ancients who spread their blended seed throughout this galaxy so Life here could have as many chances as possible to push itself to its ultimate level – the creation of you.

Enough of this for now. What say you that you split a bit of you off to real-time and see what you do to tidy things up? I think you might even surprise yourself."

"**Split?"** The instant she asked she knew the answer: Since the Eternals were intelligence's outside of space-time, they were beyond its limits. When desired they – she – could be in any number of 'places and times' they wanted to be at the same time for all intents existing as individual yet joined entities.

"**Now that was most... Odd. Please Res'al, how is it we knew of this 'splitting' when before we did not?"** Again, instantly they knew the answer:** "Oh."**

"As you just discovered, when I opened my mind to you I gave you access to all I that know and have experienced. More than that, I gave you – me. I hope that in time you may do the same for me. It's up to you. In any event, what is 'me' is now a part of your memories waiting for your beck and call. Anything you want or need to know about what we are capable of will come to you whenever you give it the slightest thought. If I knew it, you know it. As you may have already guessed, the only thing we _can't_ do is create more Eternals. We think.

It goes without saying that with great Power comes great Responsibility. To avoid the 'whim' factor, with the knowledge of creation and destruction techniques will also come any reasons I've found through experience as why you may or may not prefer to do it. The choice will still be yours, you two will just have an experienced third opinion about doing it.

As for my memories and experiences; Well, just as the thoughts and memories of the individuals you once were -- and still are if you haven't realized it yet Raven and Starfire, takes conscious thought for you to access so it is with these I have given you. It's not like I'll be rattling around in your mind all the time.

Phoenix thought to herselves, _"The First Ones were most right about one thing – Res'al is most certainly – odd._

_I agree, This 'splitting' goes a long way in explaining why he often seems, well, distracted. When he opened his mind to us I sensed hundreds of sub-minds within him. I first thought that he was a compound being made of many. I see now that I had it backwards – he is one being split into many!"_

Talking to him Phoenix could tell that even though Res'al had said that the Eternals had no gender or personal view of themselves Res'al was certainly predominantly _male_. Not surprisingly it was the Starfire portion of her that picked up on that first. His reaction to her appearance after the transformation was pure male and a pretty horny one at that! Had he taken on a physical form she was certain there would be a rock-hard woody of some sort staring her in the face right now. A thought crossed their minds giving them a devilish smile. _"__Hmmm.__ It certainly has been a long time since we've had a male and for you Raven, never one you did not have to __fear... damaging__ giggle ._

_Now now my love, yesss, this could get interesting... later."_

Of course, Phoenix had chose their form just for this sort of reaction from humanoid and once-humanoid lifeforms. Apparently it worked on other types too. The strapped female Tamaranian battle harness was Starfire's idea.

"G_ood choice my Love._

_Thank you with mustard on top! I'm glad you let us keep my long hair, this shade of violet is simply lovely with it!_

_Now what did I say earlier about answering ourselves with a __different__ mind?_

_ g_iggle "

She shook her head to clear those thoughts for now. First things first. With that Phoenix sent a bit of herselves back to Vauluosa and rejoined the others while she and Res'al stepped outside the Galaxy to watch things unfold.

To Vauluosa and the others, all they were aware of was the final flash that heralded Raven and Starfire's transformation.

Still floating above the surface within Vauluosa and bathed in a soft green glow Phoenix sheepishly addressed them: **"Um, hi there. Sorry for losing my temper earlier. Vauluosa, I'm sorry for hurting you, it was not my intention." **She gave a half-hearted little wave to no one in particular and released the First One's and the others from her bonds. Sensing that her audience was holding their collective mental breaths she sighed and steeling herself for her new role, continued on. **"What was started in the beginning of Time has been finished**** Life in this Multiverse has driven itself to its ultimate expression. From the ashes of this dead Galaxy I have ****arisen**** as Life reborn anew for I am PHOENIX!**

**Vauluosa, thank you for your help. You alone seem to be the only one involved in this who hasn't been meddling in my – our – existence and was a part of it only to help us.**

**Arella, and you others – I have Trigon to deal with right now. After that, maybe we'll talk again, maybe we won't, I haven't decided yet. It kind of depends on how _or IF,_ I reset things again doesn't it? For now, Vauluosa will keep you linked with what happens."**

With that Phoenix seemed to slightly look up and around and then with a slow smile, phased out. Just as Phoenix spoke her last few words Arella caught a little wink from her. Arella also was very aware of the agitated thoughts of those around her – most were none too sure just what this 'Phoenix' meant by those last remarks. Still, Arella smiled. She knew her daughter and had seen her little sign. Although she had no idea just what Phoenix would do with this Galaxy she was sure that it would be – Good.

From Outside Phoenix opened a part of her mind and found Trigon as he hurdled toward Vauluosa through a space-time conduit. She grinned an evil little grin as an idea about what to do formed in her minds.

Phoenix looked into Trigon's mind and saw his grandiose plans for her and the others. She felt his Power – it was truly astonishing! The entire Lifeforce of the entire galaxy focused and condensed into one single being. She was amazed that he was able contain it and then saw the fatal flaw in what he had done (aside from creating his Gem): To contain and control the phenomenal powers he had absorbed from the physical world Trigon had to fully integrate himself with it! He was no longer a disembodied field of intelligent energy focused into a physical Avatar – Trigon was ALL here as one complete being, physical and non-physical components in one localized area. If he was still a fully non-physical being she would have had to at least thrown a stasis field around the Galaxy to fully contain him before ending this. But now – oh this was really going to be _too_ easy. He _really_ had no clue as to just what he was up against!

Touching Trigon's mind she spoke to him: **"****Oh daddy dear... Still looking for your little Gem? Well you are too late! The Gem has been shattered and formed anew. While I am still here, so is Starfire within us. The Gem is no more and the Phoenix has risen! Your reign of evil stops HERE!"** She reached out into space-time and appearing as her flaming green firebird seized him in one burning claw. **" It is **_**we**_** who shall do the kicking of the butt!" ** As she pulled him into realspace from his transit while he raged at her in surprise at her audacity, she realized just exactly what star system they had dropped into realspace at.

Altair. How fitting. The home star system of the Ancients, the first race changed by the First One's to begin the creation of – herself.

Father, look around you. Do you know where we are? It is _here_ that events leading to now began and here is where it all ends.

Phoenix threw up wards surrounding the star system to prevent any undo mishaps and releasing her hold on Trigon flowed into a gargantuan version her cloaked humanoid female shape that matched Trigons size. Much as she figured he would, Trigon began his rant:

"you have grown powerful my child! Very powerful. So it has come to this – you once again rising to 'SAVE the universe' from me.

Ha ha ha! What makes you even think that they are supposed _ to be saved by you? Did you ever bother to once think that maybe i am ordained by life itself to end it? life itself created me in the fires that began this universe. Created me so that i might rule it and one day end it! Head me child for i am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and ending of everything."_

Trigon paused in his tirade. Casting a critical eye at Phoenix he almost casually commented,_ "**Interesting that after your transformation you still choose to see yourself as a humanoid. I think the bird of fire is a much more appropriate form for what you have become although, I do admit i find this form – ****intriguing.**_

_**That troublemaker res'al does not seem to be here with you and this time i sense no interference from it. Frankly, i do not know why it removed me from this realm the first time but, i -- have – returned!"**_

Trigon spread his arms wide and with a broad grin mockingly swung his massive head around almost as though expecting to see his formless adversary hovering nearby. Seeing nothing of course, he gave a deep evil laugh and continued, **"**_**This time it seems that meddlesome CREATURE is content to just let what happens, happen."**_

Shaking his fist above his head his voice rose again to a deafening roar,_ **"**Perhaps it already knows that my power can no longer be stopped. Well, let it watch and let it learn fear! Let it learn that nothing will stop my will from becoming what is!"_

He once again turned his attention back to Phoenix, _"_Do you think that your barrier will contain me after i have destroyed you? Yes, thanks to meddling by the first one's and their pathetic minions, those damned Ancients and Azar, you have become more powerful than I could ever have foreseen but even so, Without the power of the first ones and other ascended beings aiding you I sense nothing inside of you that can withstand me! Even joined with that green-eyed witch you call 'lover' you are no match for what I have become. For the final time my child -- Good... bye!"

With that Trigon began to unleash a furious fusillade of energy bolts against her. A brilliant red ball of plasma grew around her as his energies found their mark. While he was supremely confident that without help from the others or Res'al she could never survive his attack, he held nothing back. With a sweep of his arms Trigon all the nearby rubble of the ruined star system moved and he guided it to where she was. Chunks of smashed planets and moons collided with the growing ball of destruction surrounding her and actually began to encase her as the core of a new moon. The tremendous energies of the collisions heated the rocks. The ball now composed of molten rock grew as more immense pieces of debris rained in upon where Phoenix was while all this time Trigon's eye beams were pouring near limitless power into his target. Hundreds of meters in diameter, then thousands it continued growing.

Never before had he felt the need to push his power to its limits because nothing in this pathetic galaxy – aside from those on the homeworld of his gem's green-eyed lover – had been able to seriously resist his attacks for more than a few seconds. Towards the end of his conquest of this galaxy he was absorbing dozens of star systems at one time but still, after his last defeat he felt he knew what he was up against with the two them joined as one and was taking no chances.

Finally as Raven had done to him in their last battle Trigon gathered all his power into all the chakra points on his body. For the first time he experienced the totality of his Power. _**'INCREDIBLE!"**_ he roared, almost drunk with the energies gathering within him. With insane amounts of spurious energies bursting from his chakras Trigon began to laugh in delighted triumph, _**"SUCH POWER! SO THIS IS HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO CONTROL IT WHEN YOU DEFIED ME THE LAST TIME! I DO NOT THINK YOU STILL LIVE BUT IF YOU DO KNOW THIS: THIS IS THE ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED FROM YOU, MY GEM – THIS CHANNELING OF POWER THROUGH THE ENERGY POINTS – LEAVE IT TO A RACE BASED ON MORTALITY TO FIND THIS ABILITY. FOR THAT ALONE I GIVE YOU CREDIT BUT THIS TIME YOU WERE WRONG – IT IS I WHO ENDS THIS!"**_ Releasing the Power with his arms, legs and whole body he focused it into one point and with a deafening roar of triumph Trigon unleashed one final titanic blast of energy that annihilated the growing planetoid.

The blast changed the small planetoid into an immense brilliant blue ball of expanding plasma bright as supernova and still he continued to pour energy into it. The fabric of space-time itself was torn asunder and the ball of energy slowly at first then with gaining speed collapsed into the Void taking much of the surrounding matter and energy with it. As the hole began to close again Trigon's mind reached within it and he applied his Leech technique to recover the energy he had just expended before it was lost forever to the Void. Just as the rip closed he finished. He had done it, almost every last bit had been recovered!

Immensely pleased with himself Trigon now again directed his attention to where his daughter had been: He sensed no power from where Phoenix had stood although he sensed that the barrier wards were still intact for now. White-hot debris was still streaming from the point of his attack as Trigon moved closer. He had to see for himself that this 'Phoenix' was destroyed.

As he neared the center of the expanding cloud of incandescent rock vapor Trigon stopped dead in his tracks.

Phoenix was still there.

Unscathed, her hair and cloak flowing freely behind her with not a mark on her, she was still there!

_**"NO! **__**THIS... CANNOT... BE! I SENSED NOTHING FROM YOU. HOW... HOW CAN YOU STILL EXIST? NOTHING COULD POSSIBLE RESIST THAT!**__**"**_ bellowed a stunned Trigon.

Chapter-28

Her eyes burning a fierce electric blue Phoenix reached out her left arm and from it burst forth a blazing green claw of Power that seized him in an irresistible grip. Trigon tried to struggle against her grasp but was unable to move anything more than his head. **" As we said before 'Father' - it is **_**we**_** who shall do the kicking of the butt! Before you attacked, you said you do not sense Res'al and that nothing could stop you. After your attack you said you sensed nothing from us, that nothing could withstand what you just did.**

**You blind arrogant Snafloff! You've answered your own questions, for we ARE **_**nothing! We do not exist here!**_** Like Res'al, I am an Eternal, no longer a being **_**of**_** space and time but now one who **_**is outside of it**_**I – **_**we**_** – are beyond the reach of anything you can do. However,"**Phoenix momentarily tighten the claw's grip causing her talons to bite into Trigons body. As they did, energy began to flow from his wounds,**"I can do anything I want to **_**you**_**. In the greatest of ironies it was YOU who was responsible for our ascension beyond these pale realms, beyond anything you or the other First One's can ever attain.**

**In fact – " **A memory from somewhere had just hit her – **"I now have the feeling that even though I have just been born – **_**I have always been!" **_Phoenix smiled as she remembered a line from an earth book Raven had read and continued,** "This being was only sleeping but now, **_**Father... The Sleeper has Awakened!"**_

Phoenix paused for a moment and just for emphasis gave the helpless Trigon a crushing squeeze. In response Trigon bellowed in pain and rage. "**Even now the possibilities of what to do here before I leave are endless but to me there is only one true choice. Take care of you and undo what you have done."** Another squeeze of her claw and another scream of pain and anger from Trigon.

"**It is very satisfying to see you feel pain. It's a pity I shouldn't continue this 'fun' longer but doing so would be pointless. There is nothing for you to learn because you will soon be gone. Before you are removed from existence you should know that Res'al _is_ here with me and watching _(Yes, I am and so far I've got to say I'm most impressed. My word, I think she's got it.)_ but prefers to let me handle this as I see fit because after all, this was MY Galaxy.**

**To me it was a simple choice: Become what I am and leave this existence letting this realm's problem with you find another solution on its own or, fix it before leaving. The Eternals do not interfere where they do not belong. I get to, shall we say, -- play with this place – only because it was part of my origin and before I leave I want it back just as it was before you were released.**

**I _know_ how it was before you showed up again – it was far from perfect but it it was _alive!_ Alive with the hopes and dreams of quintillion's of lifeforms and you thought you could control it. You said that perhaps you were ordained by Life itself to be the one to end it – I am proof that you are NOT. Life itself conspired against you and created ME to defend it and _THAT_ is exactly what I'm going to do before I leave this existence and move on.**

**Trigon, it is time to end your foul existence and heal the hurt you have caused."**

Phoenix dropped the wards sealing the star system and slowly began to crush Trigon in her claw. As Trigon writhed and bellowed in agony her talons pierced his body and the energies he had stolen from an entire galaxy began to pour out into space. At first the Life essence he had stolen flowed out slowly, almost peacefully appearing much like small soft balls of glowing fog that drifted away from Trigon. These glowing Life energies slowly drifted toward Phoenix as she began absorbing all that Trigon had stolen. Harder she squeezed and her talons plunged deeper and the Lifeforce now flowed outward in a tremendous river that channeled itself into Phoenix who set it aside somewhere – safe for now.

Trigon screamed in painful rage:_** "AAAAARRRGGGG! NOOOO!!! THE POWER – IT IS MINE! HOW??? **_Phoenix's talons bit deeper still:_** YAAAARRRRGGGHH! YOU CANNOT BE DOING THIS!!!**_

_**THISUNIVERSEIS...**__**MINE!" **_As Trigon gave one last roar of pain and defiance she morphed into their winged Avatar and gave one final and fatal squeeze.

Trigons body burst in a titanic explosion equal to the billions of stars and uncountable lifeforms he had absorbed as all his stolen energies were released including those of his own original being. Every last bit of Trigon himself was transformed from what he was to what he was not. The negative Lifeforce from Trigon, as great as it was, became diluted to the point of insignificance as it was mixed into the flood of the entire Galaxy's Lifeforce.

The burning green winged Avatar spread it wings wide to catch and draw into her the fantastic release of Power from Trigon's destruction like a great bird sunning itself in the warming rays of a brilliant sun. With great satisfaction, Phoenix collected every last erg of it within herselves as he burst apart. When the last energies passed into her, she gathered their wings around herself and she resumed their feminine form. Darkness once again filled the Galaxy.

A shimmering dark blue hooded cloak phased into being around her and drooped low over their eyes as she lowered her head and closed the cloak around her. "So ends the reign of Trigon the Terrible, the first First One to ever die. Good bye – father." Phoenix thought quietly to themselves.

The remaining First One's, Vauluosa, and the other transcendent beings held their collective mental breaths.

Res'al was almost bursting with anticipation as he beamed at how Phoenix was handling herself.

Chapter-29

As Phoenix meditated on what to do with the Lifeforce she recovered from Trigon, she took note of the anxiety from the First Ones and the others. Just after destroying Trigon she had looked into their minds and saw their hopes and fears as to what she would do next. All of them except Arella and Vauluosa were terrified of her. Arella and Vauluosa seemed perfectly calm about it all, willing to trust in whatever Phoenix did next. Not that they had any choice in the matter.

The Nox – somehow she really couldn't read them, they seemed – anxious for some reason, but not from fear. Odd. The rest were horrified by how she had killed Trigon – while none of them had any idea exactly _how_ one of their kind could be destroyed or what it would be like, an ending like his had been had never crossed any of their minds.

Those who had thought about it at all were thinking more along the lines of how Trigon had first been defeated. More of a 'he just went away' vs the 'he was squeezed until he popped like an overripe fruit' type of ending. Phoenix grinned as she sensed that several of the Azar and the Ancients had been wishing they still had stomachs so they could throw up.

Hypocrites! After all the horrors Trigon had committed, horrors that _they allowed to happen and were fully aware of_, the sight of him being pulped is what got to them. As anger began to rise in her she asked herselves, "Why? Because he was _one of them_ his death was somehow worse? Since they could tolerate his destruction of other physical life so well, they better get used to the idea that THEY are still just as easy to extinguish!"

What they did not understand at all was that Phoenix had absorbed all the Lifeforce Trigon had released and set it aside until she was ready to do what was needed. To them it seemed that she had drawn the Lifeforce into herself instead of letting it flow back into space-time. What they _didn't_ know was that the Lifeforce had come to her on its own, she did not summon it. It knew where it belonged for now but they thought she had absorbed it like Trigon had and for the same reason– it certainly wasn't going back into space!

Phoenix thought again at what she had felt from her mother Arella and from Vauluosa: Trust and Hope. The Trust that she would restore Life to the Galaxy and the Hope that she would do it right and not 'tinker' with it. Remembering this her emotions began to cool. What to do, what to do...

Res'al certainly wouldn't offer her any ideas, he had already said that it was all up to her. He may prefer Life but Phoenix knew if he had one he wouldn't bat an eye if she just left the Galaxy as it now was. As her mind calmed, it came to them just how she should restart the Galaxy.

Phoenix raised her head and crossed her arms. Out of habit rather than need, she began her chant: **"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"**She spread her arms and energies began to build around her. Her eyes once again blazed with actinic blue glow, her cloak billowing behind her as currents of Life itself swirled in and out of her she continued,** "Reformo Vita incorruptus infinitus!** Starting from a blinding infinitesimal point of light space-time ripped apart. She spread her arms and legs wide, fiery balls of energy at her hands and feet as a massive portal opened before her which touched all places where Trigon had passed.** "Memini meminisse tui exitum! Cognosco de hanc vivo vixi victum. INCIPIO VIVO VIXI VICTUM!"**

As she spoke the last words she flashed a final mental note into the spell and flowing into her blazing green firebird Avatar with its wings spread wide, released the stored Lifeforce back to the Galaxy. An incomprehensible flood of Power and Lifeforce poured from her into the portal in a tremendous torrent. Finally the flow slowed then stopped and the portal shrank back to nothingness. Her firebird raised its head high and releasing a piercing screech that rang throughout the Galaxy then closed its wings around itself as it phased out of this Universe and joined the rest of herself already with Res'al to watch the wonder she had created.

To Phoenix and Res'al looking In from Outside it seemed that starting at the center of the Galaxy a brilliant bubble of Lifeforce swept outward and encompassed the entire galaxy in a few seconds. Once inside the portal the energies each knew where they belonged and sorting themselves out, the Lifeforce had found its way back to where it had been stolen from and the Galaxy burst into life. The stars once again burned as if nothing had happened and black holes rejoined their deadly dance with matter that ventured too close. Planets regained their internal energies and structures rose out of the dust like crumbling sandcastles in reverse. Life returned in a flash with plants, animals, and people returning to how they were the instant before their destruction. Machines reformed from the elements and sprang to life to resume their endless toils.

The people continued on their with their business as if nothing had happened. Children played and school bells rang calling them back inside. Wars resumed from where they had been interrupted. For more than a few unfortunate souls their rebirth was short lived as weapons that had been fired before the destruction now found their marks. As the bubble of Lifeforce passed over it everything everywhere returned to as it had been, good, bad, and indifferent, prior to Trigon corrupting it or obliterating it.

Or _almost_ as it had been. Shriva became a garden planet filled with all manner of life with none more harmful than a large wolf. Tamaran too had a difference: For it, Raven had stepped aside and let Starfire handle things for she knew that Star had definite issues to take care of there. Blackfire and Karras were restored along with the rest of the planet but they were not exactly restored to life -- as a warning to the Southern Tribes they had been placed in the central courtyard of the Southern Tribe's castle as the dark stony gray statues from Starfire's dream.

Statues with a difference as they were alive. The consciousnesses of Blackfire and her just as evil and ambitious lover Karras were very much alive and aware, locked away forever inside of them. Obviously once living flesh, the agony of the evil pairs transformation by Trigon was now forever turned to almost inert stone. Starfire had made certain that all of the Southern Tribe knew they were inside for once every Tamaranian year they would be able to speak for a brief time before once again being locked into stony silence.

Surrounded by a protective barrier it was a lasting reminder to all of their past actions and the consequences of them. At least the Tamaran version of Earth's pigeons should enjoy it, at three the time size of those on Earth and three times as messy they would have a grand time on their new roost. Although she knew she should be beyond caring about them anymore, Phoenix felt very... satisfied.

As for Nox – for now she held off restoring it. Without the now-ascended Nox to inhabit it she didn't think it fair for an intelligent planet to be left alone. She had an idea about what to do about Nox but that could wait for later.

Suddenly, throughout the Galaxy all sentient life stopped, froze in their tracks and screamed in terror. The dogs of war stopped their rampage with all the factions paralyzed and in disarray. Phoenix had not just restored things to as they were – she had made sure that the memory of their destruction was remembered by all sentient life that had been extinguished in Trigon's assault. Every last horrible and painful second of it – and she had made certain by having them share those memories that all life knew that it was not alone, that trillions upon trillions of other lives throughout the entire Galaxy had joined them on the pyre of Hatred. Each _knew_ the death of the rest along with their own.

She was not naive enough to think it would stop the madness forever but having already experienced it themselves she hoped that maybe, just maybe, they might be a little less willing to kill each other for a while – or at least until they forgot this lesson after few generations.

In their own tongue, echoing in the minds of all who had been restored were the words that Phoenix had spoken: "**Form again Life uncorrupted without bounds. Remember your destruction! Learn from THIS to live, be alive. BEGIN TO LIVE, TO BE ALIVE!**"

It seemed almost an afterthought, but there was more: "_Beyond that – you're on your own. Don't come looking or praying to us for help or use us as reason to kill each other because we might get annoyed with you if you do. Believe me –__** you do NOT want to get us annoyed with you.**_"

Chapter-30

Phoenix and Res'al pulled back their focus from the Multiverse and formlessly floated in the timeless mists of Eternity. Hundreds of radiant jewel-like bubbles floated around them as Phoenix gazed at them in wonder. "Universes. They are all universes, aren't they?" she asked.

"Yep. Care to let me show you around them as you tidy up the loose ends back in yours?"

She began melding her mind with Res'al's and devilishly grinning from non-existent ear-to ear said, "Actually, we had something else in mind before we go exploring with you. Ever hear of the Big Bang?..."

"Errr, no... Something that deals with an explosion?"

"Of sorts. In fact, several, we hope" she slyly said as she pounced.

"What the!..."

As she and Res'al tangled minds in a cosmic tryst Phoenix split off a portion of her attention to finish up her business with the realm of mortals and with a little guidance from Res'al found her way back to Vauluosa where the First Ones and the Ascended were still gathered. Just to be dramatic, she timed her arrival to be exactly one Earth year from when she had restored the Galaxy. Phoenix knew that a mere year was inconsequential to them but still, it was a noticeable lapse of time.

The instant before appearing she looked into their minds and saw a fair amount of confusion: Most were rather pleased at what she had done but were still terrified of her. She was nothing at all like they had hoped would arise from what they had done. Yes, she _did_ restore the Galaxy and aside from her little 'Gift' to its lifeforms -- which did seem to be working for now – and what Shriva had become, hadn't tampered with it from what they could tell. No, it was way she had destroyed Trigon: Effortlessly they expected but, the Eternal they had helped to create also to took great satisfaction in it as well. _That_ was dangerous.

When Phoenix hadn't spoken to them again right after destroying Trigon they were starting to think that she might have decided to just leave forever so needless to say it came as quite a shock when she showed up. **"Hello there again"**she said with a wave as she physically popped into their midst. **"I'mmm baaackkk..."**

Her abrupt appearance scared the willies out of them. As she caught the wave of startled emotion and saw everyone move away giving her a very wide berth a bemused giggle escaped her. "_Oh, that was most hilarious! If they had bodies they would have jumped higher than a Glorfher's nest!_

_Now, behave yourself and let's get this over with. I've got to say it's pretty handy to be able to be in more than one place at a time but --" _A shudder of pure pleasure swept through her minds as some of the fun they were having with Res'al spilled over into her here. _"Wheee HA!"_ she said catching their mental breath. _"THAT was amazing! Let's get done here quick. I want to give our new-found Lover our full attention!_

_I agree! I think that this is the start of a most enjoyable eternity for the three of us. Or is that the two of us, Phoenix and Res'al or maybe the four of us, giggle you and me as Phoenix making three and Res'al as number four, or..._

_STARFIRE! Stop it! Yep. This is definitely strange..."_ she thought to herselves.

Vauluosa greeted them in a very odd tone; _**"Well, the Phoenix returns. You seem happy enough. Nice to see things work out for you. I take it that you are finally at peace with yourselves?"**_

Rather startled at Vauluosa's cold tone Phoenix replied, **"Thank you -- I think. Being freed of one's burdens does that. Now that Trigon is gone and we have been joined our dark past is finally behind us. Our future is at last ours to make as we choose."**

"_**Good for you. Arella will be along shortly. She and many others are in the ****Centaurs****-A galaxy looking around. I suppose you want to know how things are going since you destroyed Trigon: Quite well actually. For now most of the wars in this galaxy have stopped. It seems that your little 'gift' served its purpose well. While the root problems remain, at least people aren't killing each other en-mass about them – for now.**_

_**As to the First One's reaction to your reappearance – it is because they are still terrified of how you terminated Trigon and how effortlessly you did it. They want nothing to do with you or the other Eternals and are quite frankly hoping that like Res'al and the rest of the Eternals you will just leave them alone**."_

"**Well _that's_ a fine way to thank us! What – they think that we might decide that we don't like what they did to us? Well guess what: We _are_ still rather angry that they didn't tell us sooner what was going to happen and while I now understand _why_ it had to it doesn't mean we like how they did it. However all in all I must say", **Phoenix assumed a mock Royal pose and voice,** "We are most pleased at what we have become."** They waited in vain for at least some kind of reaction from Vauluosa to their little joke.

"_Wow. Tough crowd."_ she quietly said to herself. _"Truly. Does it not seem that our friend has lost its humor? What is wrong with it?_

_I'm not sure, but I intend to find out!" _

Vauluosa continued; _**"Things are so quiet in the reborn Galaxy that the First Ones and most of the other ascended beings are thinking of leaving it and going back to **__**Centaurs-A for a while. As you know, the space-time rift in the center of it still leads to each of the universes that made up this Multiverse and they intend to eventually move to one of three without corporeal life in them."**_

"**Leave the Galaxy? Why?"** Phoenix asked.

Just then Arella phased-in next to Phoenix. _**"Ah, Arella. You're here. Care to explain why you and the others are leaving this realm?"**_

Arella sighed. "Vauluosa, please! Can I at least say 'hello' to my daughter and her soul-mate first?" Turning to Phoenix she said, "Hello my child. I like the form you and Starfire have chosen for yourselves." She raised an eyebrow as she looked Phoenix over. "Showing a bit more of yourselves than I would have thought you liked though" she said referring to the Tamaranian battle halter. "A – nice – blend of the two of you. I always told Raven she should let her beautiful hair grow long. Honestly, I don't know what has gotten into that creature. Ever since we decided to leave this realm Vauluosa has been acting very rude."

"Ah ha!" Phoenix thought to herself.

Arella explained that the First Ones and the ascendants felt that the temptation to again interfere with physical life in this universe was too great to stay here. Always there was some planet facing some terrible disaster, be it natural or not, and always it was heart-wrenching to tell themselves "No. We cannot change what must be." Understanding that Life does not end with death is little comfort when we see the suffering physical life endures.

Indeed, the only reason the First Ones first tried to stop Trigon was because the evolution of Life stopped when he he began interfering with it. When Trigon destroyed life it did not continue on – it only fed his Power.

They had observed other races in the galaxy who had 'tried to do good' by interfering with tragedy: In every case – _every single one!_-- things were sometimes better but only for an all too brief time. Always it turned out that they were only delaying the inevitable. Those they fed in famine would continue practices that led to it in the first place and starvation returned again and again. Wars politically stopped only briefly squelched the killing and hid the root causes which then festered until they again burst forth into even bloodier conflict.

To beings like the First Ones, direct intervention led to unending disaster. Their long-term view of things had proved that to them time and time again. It was only by letting events run their full terrible course that permanent change could happen. Of course it also happens to absolve them of all responsibility to what occurs to those other lifeforms.

They had learned that only by passing through the fiery furnace could Life reach its fullest potential. Yes many innocents would die, but those who survived the crucible would emerge better, stronger and hopefully, wiser. The First Ones knew that Life did not end with Death.

They knew that what many sentient lifeforms thought of as the end was only a pause in its existence and that it would be reborn anew in another form that carried within it the experiences of its past lives. Even when entire star systems were destroyed by supernovae, they did not end there – just as the blast created new elements and spread them throughout the Galaxy to form new stars and planets, the Life essence of the system's lifeforms would too be reshaped and spread to form anew in time. Such was the nature of Life and the unstoppable forces of evolution.

Unfortunately, knowing all this is for the greater good certainly does not make it any easier to watch it happen and so – better to leave this universe and temptation behind.

"I think that you too have come to this decision my child have you not?" Arella asked.

With sad eyes Phoenix looked at her half-mother **"Yes, we have, but for a different reason. We came here to tell you that we are leaving: not because of the temptation to interfere – although that **_**is**_** a good reason – but because our time here is finished and it is pointless to remain. What needed to be done, has been done. Trigon has been destroyed and the Phoenix has arisen.**

**This galaxy, this universe – this Multiverse, are no longer any concern to us. In a whim we could utterly destroy it and just as easily create another in its place. As amusing as that might be to do that is all it would be – an amusement."**

Addressing all who had slowly gathered around her Phoenix proclaimed** "Hear me First Ones and Ascendants! I understand your fear of me. In your place I would most likely feel the same way. But, there is _NOTHING_ I want from this Multiverse and there is certainly not going to be any price to pay for what you have done to us. We _like_ our new being and – grudgingly – thank you.**

**We came here only to say good-bye to my mother and wrap up 2 loose ends. Nox, I'm glad you are here -- we need to talk."**

She returned her attention to Arella. Adopting a softer mental tone she touched her mind and placed a tiny piece of herselves within it "There. Arella, for as long as you and this Multiverse exist I will always be with you. Think of me and we will know no matter where or when you or we are."

Focusing her attention to the Nox and blocking out all others Phoenix asked "Can we, um, step outside of here for a bit? I'd like to know what you think I should do with your planet."

"_Certainly_" the Nox replied, as they did Phoenix stopped time around them leaving only herself and the Nox active.

Observing everyone else stopped in mid-thought the Nox asked, "_Interesting ability. Have you always had it or is this something – new?_"

"It was part of what Trigon gave me. Wait a second... You sound surprised at this power!"

"_Indeed we are. The First Ones do not have this ability which means that it didn't come from the Dark One."_

"But – I first used this power when Slade opened the path for Trigon! It _must_ have come from him."

"_It did not, and none of other ascendants have such ability either. We of course can slip _through_ time, it is a part of portal travel, but we cannot control it like this. Can you also travel forward and back in it?"_

"_Resal! Just how much a part did you really play in the creation of us? We'll have to think about this later_" Phoenix thought to herself. "Past, Present and Future are now all the same to us but from your viewpoint, I suppose so. Nox, what is wrong with Vauluosa? It seems – different. Quite miffed actually, if that is possible."

"_It is now without purpose. For eons it slept waiting for your coming. Now that its function has been fulfilled it does not know what to do. Vauluosa of course knows that we are leaving this realm but it cannot join us as it a part of this planet. Its mind can travel anywhere but here is where its being is rooted."_

"We thought as much. Nox, I doubt you want to return to your planet and I do not want to re-create it without an intelligence to keep it sane. So, what are we to do with it?"

"_We know what you are thinking. Can you really transfer Vauluosa to it? That would be most kind and we think that it would be quite interesting. As for us, you're wrong. We are – uncomfortable – as we are. While we are the essence of Nox, we are... incomplete. We need our other half! When you rebirth our planet we shall return to it. If Vauluosa wishes to join us, it is most welcome. The melding of we three could lead to some very interesting evolution. "_

"That is what we were hoping to hear. Yes, we can free it and if Vauluosa wants to, we will. We thank you Nox, you have given us the answer to our last problem in this galaxy." With that said, time once again flowed for those around Phoenix and the Nox.

"**Vauluosa ..."**

"**_What now?"_ ** it snapped back.

"**Lose the attitude will ya! We're **_**trying**_** to help you!"**Phoenix retaliated.

"_**Attitude? Gee. Whatever **_** do****_ you mean? Let's see, I was created by the First Ones to aid in the birth of you and for over 9 billion Earth years I patiently waited to do it. Finally, the time comes and I do my part. You ascend beyond even the First Ones, save the Multiverse – and then you, the First Ones, and the rest of the Ascendants decide to leave this realm and me behind in it._**

_**Did they ever ask **_**ME****_ what I want? No. I was a tool to them. A tool with one function, and now that it is done, I'm nothing to them. I cannot die and I cannot leave. Joy oh joy, what a fulfilling life alone I have to look forward to."_** it bitterly complained.

Both halves of Phoenix sighed. **"You complain of being 'a tool'! What do you think we were, chopped liver? Raven was a part of the destruction of all life in this galaxy. Both Raven and Starfire saw their worlds, their people, **_**an entire galaxy**_** incinerated in a pyre of hatred. All orchestrated it turns out by the First Ones, so don't talk to us about being a tool!**

**But, that is all in the past. We too 'did our part' in what they started – and while Life has been restored those same 'Ascended' beings are now terrified of us _because_ we did our part too easily for their tastes.**

**Let them leave and let us be an eternal reminder to them of the consequences of creating life. I as their terror of succeeding too well and you as their guilt of abandoning it.**

Phoenix directed her increasingly displeased thoughts towards the gathered ascendants: **"What? The great First Ones have nothing to say in this matter? Speaking of which do you have anything at all to say to US, to the children YOU created?"**

Silence.

Finally, Arella began to speak, " My child..." Starfire's personality angrily took over and she cut off Arella. "**STOP calling us 'your child! A child we are NO LONGER! You who are always so resigned to what you think 'must be' are this time very WRONG! Raven and I understand that all of you no longer want anything to do with us or lifeforms in this galaxy but deal with us you MUST! How could you create a lifeform such as your Vauluosa and _not_ care about what happens to it?**

Arella was crushed. As a slow tear ran down her cheek she began again, "Raven, Starfire – Phoenix, I know that you are no longer children. The First Ones will not answer you. You are right. They do not care about what they have created and are in fact repulsed by it. They consider both you and Vauluosa abominations created out of necessity, not desire.

The First Ones do not care about physical lifeforms, they care only about the Lifeforce carried within physical life because they are _only_ Lifeforce. As powerful as they are, as moral as they are, the one quality they lack is compassion. When they joined with Res'al in creating you they were thinking only of preserving that Lifeforce. The idea of having a hand in creating an Eternal was inspiring to them because they hoped that somehow they could learn how to do the same to themselves. Even though Res'al told them it was not to be they still secretly held to that hope.

Witnessing the nature of your transformation crushed that idea and so now they just want to leave this physical realm and be by themselves to sulk. As for the Ancients and the Azar, as once physical-beings, no matter what you think at least _some _of us DO care about all life. But, what are we to do? We cannot stay here."

Back as one Phoenix, softened their tone asked "And what about _you_. Why are _you_ leaving with them?"

"Because I do not want to be alone. I do not want to wander this Universe surrounded by life but unable to be a part of it. What else am I to do?" she helplessly answered.

"There _is_ a way out of this for you two," Phoenix replied.

Vauluosa's tone softened as both it and Arella asked, _"What to you mean?"_

"One at a time. Vauluosa, you said you wanted to be asked what is to be done with you. Well, we are asking. What do _you_ want to do?"

Vauluosa was taken aback. Phoenix felt a glimmer of hope arise in its thoughts as incredulously it slowly answered, "_**I... I don't know what to say. No one has **_**ever**_** asked me what **_**I**_** wanted.**_

_**I suppose, I want to be where there is Life around me. Life I can commune with."**_

Arella?

"I too want to be a part of life. What are you thinking of my chi... my dears?" she replied catching herself.

Phoenix beamed. "We stepped out and had a talk with Nox and they wish to stay in this Galaxy and be rejoined with their living planet. I shall make it so. Arella, Vauluosa, you can stay with them if you want to as can any others who desire it. The Nox have already agreed to it."

Vauluosa excitedly answered her. _**"You can do this? You can move me from this place and put me amongst life? And not just any life, but life with a mind and nature equal to my own? What am I saying – of course you can! Yes! Yes that would do just fine!"**_

Arella rushed to Phoenix and as only a mother can, hugged her. "I would be very happy to live with the Nox" she cried. "Thank you! Thank you my child!"

This time Phoenix took no offense to the appellation as it came from the heart. Once more raising her voice she declared, **"Then so shall it be!"**

In the blink of her eye the planet Nox and its star system sprang into being. It's other half, the Nox, blissfully faded away from within Vauluosa and immediately joined with their homeworld once again. Like someone turning off a switch suddenly the bubble in space-time that held the consciousness of Vauluosa was emptied of the being's thoughts as it too joined with the Nox leaving only Arella and the remaining ascended beings within its now dark and empty shell.

A soothing nebulous glow appeared around Phoenix and Arella as they took in the resulting commotion around them. The First Ones were in an uproar. Some were dumbfounded in their disbelief that the Nox had given up their ascension and physically returned to Nox. **"What have you done!"** they roared. **"You cannot let the Nox **_**do**_** this, you MUST stop them! They do not understand what they are giving up! They cannot possibly really desire to return to **_**physical**_** forms!"**

Phoenix's emotions began to boil and her eyes blazed. _ "Starfire, you want to take this? You have quite a knack for tirades._

_Most certainly, I do! And, thank you... I think._

**NOW you see fit to talk to us. Listen well you arrogant Snafloffs: The Nox, Vauluosa, Arella, and any others who desire it can do what they please! First in this galaxy you may be but these are good being's, independent beings, who do _what_ they want _where_ they want in _whatever_ form they want. They are harming no one.**

**How can it be that you protest their decision when you always speak of 'how Life must be allowed to follow its own course'. Like it or not this is _their_ choice, NOT yours, it is _their_ path to follow.**

**You may think that you are the ultimate that life in this Multiverse can ever attain – it is clear to me that there are those who feel otherwise. Any who do not wish to follow these First One's make your choices _now _for it is time that these hypocrites leave this place!**

_Good going Starfire! When you get on a roll you can be right proper bitch!_

_Um, Raven?_

_Yes my love?_

_What are they doing?"_

The First Ones were making it known that they did NOT like these events one bit.

Almost all of the First Ones had left the area as had many of the Ancients and Azar but a few dozen of the First Ones and almost all of the Ancients and Azar were still here. Those that remained seemed locked in place unable to phase out and were beginning to panic.

Aside from their immobility real cause of their distress was soon obvious: The shell of space-time that once held the living mind called Vauluosa was rapidly collapsing toward zero-space and would soon take the remaining occupants with it.

Arella sensed their panic and looked around her but then she saw Phoenix grinning in bemused disbelief.

"_Oh this is pathetic!_

_Truly it is. Really do they think that this will somehow stop what we have done?_

_It seems so. What bothers me more is that they are trying to take these others out with us._

_!!! This we cannot let be. I think that it is time again for the kicking of butt!_

_Now Star, you know that they don't have butts._

_Well, then we shall do the kicking of their non-butts!"_

Phoenix turned their attention back to those around her. **"It seems the decision of who stays and who goes has been has been made. So be it."** With a green flash of her eyes Phoenix removed the collapsing shell and an instant later she and Arella were on the surface of Vauluosa's planet much to the dismay of the First Ones who had been gathered around the sphere and were applying all their powers to it in hopes of destroying the abominations within it. Some of them immediately tried to discorporate and flee but found themselves locked into the area around the planet.

"**No! You cannot have escaped! You..."**

Her eyes still burning a deep emerald green Phoenix cut short them short:** "Escaped? You're right. We didn't because **_**we were never there! **_** You still just don't realize what we have become do you? Are you really as dense as a Snorfkar? Well, stupidity or ignorance is no excuse for your actions."**

Phoenix's eyes blazed brighter, changing to a brilliant blue-white as she continued, **"You want to be away from all corporeal life huh? You got it. Have fun in the Void. YOU ARE BANISHED FROM THIS MULTIVERSE!"**Phoenix roared at them. With that, they vanished leaving only her and the avatar of a very bewildered Arella. A flash of light later and the two of them were standing on Nox.

"Direct as ever." Arella said sounding more than a bit awed. "Did you really send them into the Void?" A frown crossed her face and in a more worried tone she added "Ah, probably a silly little question but, where are the others who were in Vauluosa's sphere with us?"

Phoenix adopted a calmer tone of thought once again and answered her. "Yes, they are in the Void. Funny enough, they will probably be quite happy there once they get over the fact they can't get out and their egos recover from the thrashing we just gave them. As for the others, they're in Centaurs-A where they were heading anyway. From there they can do what they want."

"Oh."

Phoenix read the discomfort in Arella's face and guessed the reason. Phoenix took hold of Arella's hands with hers and Arella saw a subtle shift in Phoenix's face as it took on a very familiar look of dark resignation as Raven took the lead. "Mother, I know that you and the others also still do not really understand what I – we – have become or how much we have changed.

In most ways Starfire and I no longer exist and it turns out... we never did. Not because we have joined with each other and become Phoenix but because we are now a_nd have always been_ a single being, an Eternal."

She sense her mother's growing confusion and struggled to find a way to explain that a non-Eternal could understand. "Non-physical entities like the First Ones and beings such as yourself who came after them and ascended beyond the physical realms are still a definable entity. Disembodied intelligence, organized energy field, whatever you want to call it you still have a definite and tangible essence tied to the space-time field of this Multiverse and that bond cannot be broken. We have no such bonds.

In this realm the range of your individual 'self' may reside between the beats of time and expand to cover a volume the size of a star system but to us that is nothing. We are outside of time and space. While we obviously exist, we also do not. The 'self' of an Eternal is spread throughout all there is, was, and ever will be. As we told Nox earlier Past, Present, and Future are the same to us. Much like pages in a book they are open to us at the merest whim.

Within this particular collection of quantum bubbles of linear space-time, this Multiverse, the probabilities and possibilities of existence – what you call the dimensions – branch out from key points in the time lines into a near infinite web of 'What If's. But from time to time all of those branches re-converge again back to a single stream before spreading apart once again.

Those points of convergence are nodes in the time lines that cannot be changed or evaded. The decisions each of us makes in our lives affects ourselves, and those around us but not the events that will lead to these key points. Now, the final outcome of the convergence – that's another story. It is here that the deeds of key individuals – the proverbial 'Right People, in the Right Place, at the Right Time' -- set the main course of events for the next divergence.

As we stand here on Nox and speak to each other I am also outside looking at what for all world looks like a shimmering collection of soap bubbles floating in a dense fog. Mother, those bubbles are this Multiverse. The shimmering lights within them are galaxies. Even as I hold your hands now, I see its beginning and I see its ending."

Now Arella was thoroughly perplexed. "But that means you could change all of this! You could..", then she stopped, realizing where that line of events would have to end and the paradox it would create.

"Yes and no. It's strange. Out of curiosity Star and I have watched ourselves live our whole lives as we knew them up to the point when we merged. We watched the lives of you and Starfires' parents, and grandparents, great- grandparents, and much MUCH further back. In fact all the way back to before our races started. Both Starfire and I had to know the truth!"

"But why? Didn't Res'al start all this to create another Eternal?"

"Why! Hmm, let's see; In this Multiverse my father is the archetype of the 'First Beings gone bad' and source of all evil in the galaxy. On Earth they would say 'The Devil'. You mother, were the product of guided evolution started by my fathers fellow beings to counter his actions. And of course then there's Res'al, the only one we knew of who could have possibly arranged all this. An Eternal totally unlike any of the other Eternals.

Let's face it, before our – change -- I always knew, not just felt, but KNEW to the very core of my being that events surrounding me were outside my control. In my small understanding of what I _thought_ I knew about my destiny I had always known that everything I did in life on Earth would be pointless in the end. As much good as I tried to do until that day, it wouldn't really matter because I was destined to destroy the Earth by releasing my father – Trigon – from his prison so he could rape the universe.'

She thought back to the second-day after she had done just that, "Robin once told me a very special thought that has always stayed with us. I had been feeling sorry for myself over all I had been responsible for, the terrible evil I had unleashed when he came up to me and I had said how hopeless all this was.

He said 'I don't agree. There is _always_ hope and that he thought I was actually the most hopeful person he ever knew'. I asked 'Why?' and he said 'Even though I had always been told, always had known, that I had been destined to do terrible things, I still had hoped and tried my absolute best to change it. If I hadn't had hope, I never would have even tried'.

Of course, after I did _that_ and then restored it after sending Trigon back to his prison-realm, I found out that now not only Raven but Starfire as well were now once again 'destined' to battle him twice more and – we're supposed to do it as the penultimate being called an 'Eternal' with abilities that makes those of the First Ones look like as interesting as pond scum.

Coincidence? We think not. And guess what mother, surprise surprise – it wasn't."

Phoenix gave a wide smirk, "First about Res'al, incredibly horny for a start. As Phoenix, we were the first of his kind to even think of sex between Eternals much less know _how_ to and I think the eternities of celibacy kinda of built up. Ever have a virgin older than time itself? We did. (_giggle_) Since they can't reproduce it simply never occurred to them to try anything like that. Some of the others are starting to experiment with it now. It's their first real new experience in uncountable eternities but Res'al and myselves are pretty certain that they'll soon tire of it pretty quickly. It may be novel to them but it's just not in their – nature.

He, definitely 'he' but we've also taught him a perfectly dreamy 'she', has been a very fast learning student in sexual pleasures both physical and non-physical. With time now a non-issue to us," she paused as her eyes briefly glazed over: "Ever have a million-year long orgasm Mother? We have..." Phoenix shook her hear head a few time to clear it and re-focusing their attention she went on, "Aside from that, his biggest difference (_giggle_) is his fascination with the universes that pop up in the quantum mists of what-is and what-could-be. None, not one!, of the other Eternals have the slightest interest in them. At least not until _we_ appeared on the scene.

Anyway, while Res'al had key part in our creation, he wasn't the cause of it.

Trust me, it's very tempting to step back and tell ourselves what's going to happen – but we can't because, well, it's _us_. Anyway, it wouldn't change a thing because what is supposed to happen _will_ happen. Our creation was not just _a_ point of re-convergence, it was the _prime_ point of re-convergence, the whole point of this Multiverse in fact, and as such could not be stopped. It's strange, for as long as we could remember, in our earlier lives both Starfire and I always felt that – someone – was watching us and now it turns out someone was. That someone was us."

"My chi.." Arella again had to catch herself. Slowly she started again, "Phoenix, why are you telling me this?'

"_She hears but does not understand. Perhaps if I may try?_

_Knock yourself out Star."_

There was a slight shift in Phoenix, something in how she stood and a subtle change in the eyes that Arella saw when she continued,. "Arella, you must stop the punishing of yourself for your part in what has happened. It is not your fault that Azarath is destroyed. There was no 'moment of weakness' where you _should_ have changed anything you did. Note please that I said ' should have' not 'could have'.

Raven spoke of 'key people' and you are one of them. If you had acted differently at any time everything with the Trigon would still have happened with one difference – you and this galaxy would not be here now and we would not be so -- nice. Without you to guide her Raven would have had a far darker spirit than she did, one more depraved than the Trigon. We have seen the other possibilities and in all others the Trigon would still have had his way with you and Raven would still have been born. After that, um, things did not go so well for you – or anyone else in this Multiverse.

We still would have been created and the Trigon destroyed but there would now be a dark and terrible Phoenix in his place. This entire Multiverse would be our plaything until we tired of it and threw it away for some new amusement. Both you and I have seen that part of Raven and know full well what it was capable of when it existed and was freed.

Do not think that the other Eternals or even Res'al would have tried to stop us -- they would not. Eternals do not concern themselves with what happens in these realms and in fact most are either blissfully unaware of their very existence or simply choose to ignore them as inconsequential artifacts of the quantum mists that come and go.

Of those that _are_ aware of these bubbles of matter, most do not care about them because they do not consider any form of physical matter important much less 'alive' because it is too ephemeral.

It was your loving support of Raven and the support of the Azar – such as it was – that allowed her to destroy the Evil thing inside of her that called itself Anbu. Of all the choices you _could_ have made only the ones you chose led to you being here with us now and this Multiverse being still a happy place."

For the first time she could ever remember, Raven saw her mother smile.

Chapter-31

"My dears, I thank you for that. You're right – I had been blaming myself over all that had happened." Looking straight at Phoenix she continued, "I guess blaming ourselves for the evil and deeds of others just runs in the family."

Arella again noticed the slight change in Phoenix's face and demeanor that told her Starfire and Raven had rejoined their thoughts as one. Back as a single mind Phoenix carried on, "It did indeed travel with great speed Arella. Most our ancestors had the same character flaw which is why far too many of them suicided shortly after passing on their genes. Up to evolving into Azar at least most Raven's did try to live reasonable lives although there were more than a few right-vicious bastards in the lot. Oddly enough, the vicious ones were the largest group among the personality types that never killed themselves, probably because of the immense and perverted pleasures they took in the suffering of others.

Just as bad were Starfire's line, her parents Myand'r and Luand'r along with her sister Blackfire were perfect examples."

"Alright then, I know that the First Ones didn't come up with the idea of your creation. It was Res'al who gave them the knowledge needed to bring it about, yet you say that he had nothing to do with it. If he isn't responsible for your creation, who or what is?"

Phoenix's face flushed with chagrin: "We are. More precisely, we and Life itself are. This is one of the rare times that Life has created itself, where a Wheel of Life had always existed but was not yet in motion. It is why we said earlier that we couldn't step in and let ourselves know what was happening and why. Res'al thinks that we had always existed as an Eternal in the mists of forever but weren't self aware until Life itself intervened to bring us to consciousness. Once it had, that consciousness rippled throughout Eternity and here we are and have always been.

Perhaps he's right and perhaps not. It really doesn't matter. We now _are_ self-aware and exist. _That_ is what matters."

"From what you're saying it sounds like the Eternals have a problem with Time. Without a concept of linear-time they don't understand how life can evolve, what it can become. Surely other besides Res'al have looked into the physical realms and seen what lifeforms can do!"

"You're right, a few have but all they saw were confused and disjointed snapshots, chaos and disorder. It never occurred to them to actually leave the mists and enter the bubbles, to stick around and join with them to experience linear-time flow. Still, you are right. By not seeing how life changes and can learn _over time_ they simply did not understand what physical life is.

Of all the Eternals only Res'al had _any_ concept of Life existing outside of the quantum mists of eternity and even then his interest was limited only to the circumstances surrounding us. He alone actually stepped out of the mists and truly observed the flow of time and what Life could do while it existed. Only Res'al understood that these bubbles could give rise to Life and there was the chance – infinitesimal as it was -- that it could create one of them. He shared with any who cared this new thing called linear-time and what was happening inside the bubbles.

The reaction of the others: 'So what. You send a bit of yourself into them, exist for 'Time' and see things change, be created. You say Life sometimes arises. It lives and dies, all outside of its control, in a fixed and in the end unalterable progression. Then you leave the bubbles when they collapse back into the mists and then ... What? As we have always known you are here with the rest of us and nothing changes without us doing it. The bubbles of what you call space-time still come and go and we still exist as we please in our own way.'

Res'al was none to happy about their lack of interest. He thought that at least a few of the others would find this new thing a – diversion. Something new to amuse them at least for a while.

Then it struck him him. '_For a while?'_ The entire concept behind that simple statement was meaningless to the others but no longer to him! Linear Time was the problem. Once exposed to it he understood what it meant and was. The others didn't care because Eternals exist out of time with no distinction between 'what Was and what Will-be, they exist with no beginning and no end. To them all is simply _now,_ a slippery fog of knowledge and things that they seemed to have always known because of how they slide throughout what Res'al now knew was Linear Time. It was so simple! For the Eternals to have a sense of linear time they just needed an immutable reference point that existed as a unique event, something that had not existed in it their timeless realm at any other, well, time.

Res'al set out to find that point. To find – or create -- an actual place in their timelessness where they could say _before_ this or _after_ that. He would bring Time to the Eternals. "

Arella paused in thought for a moment. "So Res'al is aware of what is in the time-space bubbles, that some can harbor intelligent lifeforms, if only to a brief time. But..."

"But he still doesn't _exactly_ care what happens to any lifeforms in them. Like we said before, _none_ of the Eternals care what happen in the universes because with the sole exception of us nothing that goes on in them can possibly affect them. From their viewpoint it's – pointless."

Arella grew quite. "So then, just _what_ do they do? More to the point, what are you going to do throughout Eternity? Just exist and dream, have an endless threesome with yourselves and Res'al?"

Phoenix gave Arella a pitying look. "That question applies just as much to you and all other non-corporeal life in this Multiverse as it does us. Have you given any thought to what _you_ are going to do for the rest of your existence?"

That gave Arella pause. After a bit she answered, "I suppose we'll just wander the Multiverse and see what it has to offer for diversion more or less as we did before our Ascension. No longer being bound to this galaxy or Universe should be enough to keep us busy until this Multiverse ends."

"Not a bad plan but how long do you think they will do that. Remember, even as physical beings, with their extended lifetime the Azar had a problem with terminal boredom. Another option you might want to take is what Vauluosa and Nox did to pass the time and what we intend to do as well."

"And that is?"

"Investigate the possibilities of existence. They, along with the few First Ones left here, and the other Ascendants like you may not be able to travel the web of Time – yet -- but you _can_ dimension-hop."

"Why? If another dimension has life in it how different can it be from other life in this one? Aside from that, how? It was hard for us to open a portal to the Multiverse. You expect us to subdivide it as well?"

Phoenix sighed. Nox? Vauluosa? Would care to step in and let them – yes mother, I know you are relaying this to the others – let them know just what is out there?"

Vauluosa and the group mind of Nox joined with Phoenix and Arella. "_We were wondering when you were going to bring us into this little good-bye._

Phoenix gave a wide grin, "Now Nox, did you really think that after carrying you around in my mind we were going to leave you altogether? And Vauluosa; The only one that told us the whole truth about what we were – or at least what you knew of it. You know that a piece of us will always be a part of you two. If you ever want to contact us, we'll know."

"_I'm sure we will from time to time. Arella, you and the other Azar used to live in a pocket-dimension just off from Earth so you are already familiar with the basics behind dim-hopping. It's a lot easier than you think and as Phoenix said, endlessly fascinating. Once Phoenix leaves us we can help you and any others who are interested master the technique. In the mean time, shall I tell them about your favorite little dimension with the cigarette trees and the lemonade springs and the big rock-candy mountain?"_

Phoenix raise her hand, "Whoa there. Mmmaybe later. That's _MY_ place!" She gave Nox a mental wink and continued, "I was thinking more along the line of you introducing her to Lazurus Long, Jubal and rest of their clan. I'mmm pretty sure that she'd find them... interesting. Think of them as well-versed teachers in the um, possibilities, of dimension hopping and more. You'll of course be limited to the 13 realms of the Multiverse but..." Phoenix gave Arella a wide grin, "I doubt that you'll find that a problem. Spend some – time -- with them and you will get an idea of what our life is now like. You know, Vauluosa, they could teach you a few tricks as well.

Back to the point Arella, you and the others have to stop being afraid of interacting with non-ascended Lifeforms. You carry on about how you are afraid of 'Doing the Wrong Things'. Fine. There's a simple solution to that: don't play God by solving their problems with a wave of your mind.

Just remember that letting others work things out on their own doesn't mean that you can't occasionally help the process along a little with a timely and discrete nudge or suggestion every now and then. Of course, sometimes a big rock might be needed to get their attention but done right, they won't even know _you_ did anything at all.

The important point is to get out there and rejoin with Life. Embrace it. Experience again for yourselves their joys and their sorrows. Live among the physicals again and regain what you have so long ago forgotten."

For only the second time they knew of Phoenix saw Arella smile.

Chapter-32

From there the talk began to drift into awkward chat until finally Phoenix had had enough."Well, this was supposed to just be a quick little visit to see how you were before we left this Multiverse. So much for that idea. Arella, Vauluosa, Nox, take care of yourselves and like we said, enjoy Life! We are out of here."

Arella hugged Phoenix. "Well, thank you two for stopping in. You're not leaving for good are you?"

Phoenix broke the hug as she replied, "Of course not. We'll probably poke around here every now and then. Anyway, like we told Nox and Vauluosa, if you ever want us, we'll be there."

She grasped Arella's had one more time, gave her a small kiss on her cheek and then pulled back. "Goodbye mother. Remember what we said, Nox, Vauluosa, and the others should be good guides to your explorations."

Raven and Starfire decided to give Arella one more surprise. As Phoenix began slowly fading from the universe, they began to sing. The song was vaguely familiar to Arella, a song from Earth that used to be transmitted over what they had called 'radio' that she had not heard in centuries. Hearing it again and from of all people, Raven joined with Starfire as Phoenix, she knew that things were were going to work out just fine.

_One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fire was burning_

_Down the track came a hobo hiking and he said boys I'm not turning_

_I'm headin for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains_

_So come with me we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains there's a land that's fair and bright_

_Where the handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night_

_Where the boxcars are all empty and the sun shines every day_

_On the birds and the bees and the cigarette trees_

_Where the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains all the cops have wooden legs_

_And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft boiled eggs_

_The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay_

_Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow_

_Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains you never change your socks_

_And the little streams of alcohol come a-trickling down the rocks_

_The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind_

_There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too_

_You can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

Phoenix had completely gone but the song still lingered hauntingly in the air to its end.

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains the jails are made of tin_

_And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in_

_There ain't no short handled shovels, no axes saws or picks_

_I'm a goin to stay where you sleep all day_

_Where they hung the jerk that invented work_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

_I'll see you all this coming fall in the Big Rock Candy Mountains_

The song ended and Arella smiled once more. " Goodbye my child. I think that you two-as-one are going to have a _very_ interesting and unusual Eternity."

"_You know Arella, if you keep smiling like that the others are going to think that you are actually happy. Personally, we like it."_

She discorporated once again to her true state and brightly said "You know Nox, I think I am. Those two being joined is simply amazing! Starfire brings a very nice – balance – to Raven's darkness. It is simply wonderful to see Raven so happy, to see her actually smile so much, much less actually _sing_. I think that more than anything is what has lifted my heart.

Well. So what about this 'Dimension hopping'? The others and myself find the idea rather interesting."

"_It's really quite simple. In some ways it's much like portal travel with the main difference of not having to know every nuance of where you are going. We strongly suggest that you DO know exactly where you are right now so you always can return here as home-base so to speak. If you don't you may have a devil of a time getting back to this dimension!_

_Think of a place you want to visit. Envision every detail of it you can, the land, the people and animals, the sky or just set some rough guidelines for it. Let your imagination run rampant if you wish, there are no, well very few, rules the dimension has to follow except the ones you make for it._

_Once you have the dimension in your mind you then..." _Nox paused for a moment as a thought occurred to them.

"Then? Then what?" Arella said more than a bit puzzled.

"_You know, Phoenix was right. They would be better teachers for you. Let's go visit someone. For now, link to me and learn..."_

Epilogue

As the sun hung low on the horizon, it glinted off of the peaks of crystalline mountains in the distance providing an absolutely stunning display of light and colors for the occupants of a small boat lazily drifting on a lake. At the other end of the lake a tall 'T'-shaped tower sat surrounded by a brownish-yellow moat.

As the boat slowly drifted its two riders lounged beside each other in it on plush velvety cushions and watched the show as colored lights refracted from the mountains slowly danced around them.. One of them dipped a small glass into the lake and then sipped its contents. At first the fluid burned but then mellowed into a rather nice slightly sweet tingle on his tongue.

"Hmmm. Interesting. What is it?"

Phoenix smiled as she gently toyed with her companions hair, "This lake holds a little something that we discovered back on earth. It's called Bourbon. Southern Comfort to be exact." She motioned towards a low hill at one edge of the lake, "On the other side of that rise over there is another one filled with Gin. You know Res'al, for having literally been around forever you sure haven't experienced much have you?"

Her lover stuck out his tongue at her and jokingly complained, "That's not fair. Keep it up and I won't tell you a little thought I just had.

You know that I never visited Earth and in general had damn little contact with your realm at all. Aside from that, I doubt that lakes filled with various forms of alcohol are common on Earth. How did you ever come up with this place?"

Phoenix rolled on top of him and sat up straddling his chest. She morphed into her exquisite naked form as the ever changing lights played over her body. She gave a sly smile as she had an idea: She thought about some of the furrier races they had seen and decided to surprise Res'al. A downy soft fur appeared on her as did a pair of feline ears and a tail. Phoenix the Cat gave a throaty purr as she then bent and nuzzled Res'al's neck.

Res'al's eyes opened wide. "What a lovely pussy sitting top of me!"

She gave the nape of his neck a small lick, "Rrrroooowww. Why thank you, we do keep it in shape."

He began stroking her soft furry backside as her tail started brushing itself over his bare legs. Rather distracted, he went on, "Um, that too but I was talking about the rest of you. You were saying about this place..."

"Hmm? Oh right, back on Earth Starfire was with Beast Boy in a record shop that was near our favorite pizza place where I – we – she, damn it!" Phoenix paused and took a deep breath and sighed in frustration. "You know I think for the rest of this little story I'll just refer to Starfire in the second person. Even we're getting confused."

Rather amused by it all, "Works for me" Res'al said.

"_It works for I as well."_

"_Starfire, you are NOT helping!"_

Phoenix continued on, "Well, she heard an old song called Big Rock-candy Mountain. Star being Star of course thought it might be a real place and wanted to go see it. She was rather saddened to find out that it wasn't real."

Then, after the Azar had changed us to defeat Trigon the second time and we were able to fully merge our thoughts to some extent she experienced my 'Happy Place' during meditations. I remember that once when BB and Cyborg were in my mind they were led there by the hidden 'happy' part of my personality. As I recall, BB made a comment about 'now knowing where car air-fresheners came from'. What a dear yutz he was..."

Phoenix sat up slightly as Res'al began kissing her breasts. When she had morphed to a feline form she thought about going with 6 like a real feline humanoid but felt that was a bit much. The usual two were just fine. "Mmmmm, that's nice..."

She pulled back slightly from him and gave him an odd look. Res'al leaned forward as she lightly pushed him back again. Sounding like she was reliving another life she distantly went on, "Anyway, you know how Starfire often has songs running through her head? As we were merging into Phoenix it seemed as if it took an eternity just before you came. As the transmogrification progressed we lived and died in a thousand dimensions and were starting to lose it. Witnessing the alternate possibilities of our existences ranging from sickeningly pure to far worse that Trigon himself merging together, being distilled into us..." Phoenix's minds shuddered as they recalled it.

She pushed those memories back as they again accepted them as an essential part of what they had become and finished, "Our minds began to retreat to safety and shut down. Well, that particular song happened to waft on through while I was thinking about my happy-place in my meditations and next thing you know, here we were.

Here we healed from the mindstorm and sheltered our sanity until you showed up to complete our transformation. We think this place is so special that we've locked it into our minds to visit here whenever we want."

"I was wondering where you two were going off to as you were phasing through your realities."

Phoenix snapped her attention back to the Now. "We were working out all the little details each time we came here."

Res'al looked up at her with admiration and not just at her magnificent form, "Well you did a perfect job. I see you kept Titan's Tower and dropped it off here. It looks to have a lovely view of the rock-candy mountains. What's in the moat... mustard?"

Phoenix gave a wide grin. "Yep. We put a few of out favorite critters here as well. While they're cute they are also very curious and good at getting into where they don't belong. The mustard does a good job of discouraging the ones that can't fly from entering the Tower without hurting them."

Res'al became serious, "I know you know that this place is not just in your minds. You've made it real – with a life of its own. _You_ are responsible for it. Any further plans for life on it?"

"Yes teacher, we know. Of course it wasn't until you linked with us that we knew but we don't regret it and no, we think it's just fine the way it is. We setup a living stasis that resets the place each 'day' here. Takes care of the flora and fauna quite nicely."

"I imagine so. You know this is the most enjoyable scenario I've ever known any Eternal to make. Keep it up with these ideas and I think the others are going to notice."

Becoming playful again Phoenix grabbed Res'al's crotch and gave it a firm rub. "Don't care about the others, but, we'll just have to see about 'keeping things up'. Stick out that tongue again and I'll give you a place to put it to good work!"

With a smirk Res'al responded "You mean like thissss?" Out came his tongue again this time a foot long and split like a snakes.

Phoenix's eyes lit up at the sight of that. She floated up a few inches above him and positioned herself above his face. As his tongue delved between her furry silvery-bronze thighs a gasp of pleasure escaped from her lips. The twin points of his tongue found their mark and danced over and around it then probed deeper.

"Eeeep! Mmmm that is _sooo_ nice! Now while I've got you where I want you, what was that little thought my snakeboy had?"

"Whmmf? Oh, wllff, thfff sno reathinthhh I cnath thnk uff thath youthhh hafff thu... AWK!"

"Hmm, snake not speak good when playing with prize pussy and caught by it " Phoenix giggled as she playfully clamped down on his tongue.

Switching to mental speech he tried again, "_I know but I just wanted to see how it would come out. About as funny as I hoped it would be! Anywho, there's no reason I can think of that you two _have_ to be in one physical avatar. You already can split your consciousnesses into multiple semi-independent bits when you want to and all too easily switch from the combined personality of Phoenix to just Raven or Starfire in the lead. I would think that if you wanted to you should be able mix the techniques and create two avatars that are only Raven and only Star."_

Phoenix dropped onto his face in surprise then caught herself, floated up a little and grabbed Res'al's head. "WHAT!"

Res'al retracted and re-shaped his tongue and with one last flick to Phoenix's love bud on the way out, continued on "You would of course still be joined as one and share each others being and minds but would also be able to, well... be yourselves again."

Phoenix's minds were abuzz with the idea. Starfire was the first to speak, "_Raven! That is right! Before were were joined, did not Vauluosa say something about this? To be able to be ourselves when we want to... that would be MOST glorious! I could be ME again!"_

"_With all the information coming at us I forgot all about that. Yesss, I see definite advantages to it from time to time."_ Raven replied and then hotly added _"AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING JOINED TO ME?"_

"_Nothing" _Starfire squeaked. _"I'm sorry Star, that came out a lot harsher than I meant. You know how much I really miss your touch. Sharing our Love as one being is – incredible – but to be able to touch you, to taste your love again, to even simply hold your hand again... I would almost give up being an Eternal if it was possible."_

"_As would I my love."_

Res'al of course was aware of their discussion and joined in. "As you already know because you've already slid through pieces of it, being an Eternal is, well -- for eternity. The bit I find novel is creating two avatars of yourself in the same place. We've never tried that because frankly, what would be the point of making a copy of ourselves in the same area? I have dozens of other bits of me poking around different realms as we speak, but they are still me.

You my love, are unique among us. Your being two distinct consciousnesses that have become joined into one makes for very intriguing new possibilities of existence for you two."

"I think we know what you mean!" with which Phoenix promptly discorporated.

"_We first split, and then... !!!!!_

_We see what you meant about having multiple 'us' in the same place. This is like thinking with an instant echo!" _The two halves of Phoenix cleared their minds and concentrated on creating their avatars. Having done that bit for most of her life Raven's appeared almost instantly while Starfire seemed to be having a little problem with her self-image. _"Eeeek!"_ she squeaked

She was almost all there but could best be described as 'out of focus' as her features blurred and shifted. Her breasts seemed to have a life of their own alternately growing almost comically huge and then shrinking to being almost concave. Her butt had similar troubles in that it kept sliding up and down slightly as if not quite sure it was exactly supposed to be. Raven giggled but immediately stepped in and helped her by giving Star her vision of her and by guiding Starfire in the intricacies of creating her personal physical avatar. Starfire's features settled into place and snapped into crisp life.

The two naked avatars of Raven and Starfire looked at each other and simultaneously gasped. In perfect stereo, "And last, one steps into the shadows in each and..."

Almost as one their eyes opened wide. "Glorious JOY!" Starfire exclaimed followed by Raven's firm "We're BACK! YESSS!"

Credits ,Tributes, and Random Notes

Well. After spending over a year on-and-off (300+ hours according to the Open Office werp stats) giving birth to this what can I say...

Um, it of course bears repeating that the original Teen Titan's characters are property of DC Comics and WB. They have given _no_ approvals of any sort to this original work. The other characters and Phoenix however are MINE!

That out of the way, I really have no idea where the idea for this story came from but after seeing Raven-Starfire Shoujo-ai & yuri artwork from Rina Cat ( http://rinacat. ) and others on DA, one day the Muse struck and wouldn't go away. I had a choice: Keep the story in me head or put pen to paper so to speak. Well, Fantasy is fine but to keep one's sanity it's best shared with others so here it is.

To those who hopefully noticed, there were tributes to a few sci-fi writers in here. One was a take on a section in 'City and the Stars' by one of the greatest writers ever, Arthur C. Clarke another from Robert A. Heinlein's 'The Cat who walks through walls' and even a bit from Frank Herbert's 'Dune' (the first book in the series, for what it's worth the others tended to ramble on too much IMHO and take religious zealotry to uncomfortable lengths – especially these days). All highly recommended reading – especially _anything_ by Clarke and Heinlein.

The Font Thing (ODF, PDF & HTML only): A very common problem with the written word is expression of personality or mental state. Along those lines of course follows mental communications. Truly gifted writers can do it with a single font & italics. For those of us that are um, less gifted, I think my solution of using different fonts & effects kinda worked nicely. Of course any website carrying this that converts it into plain text kills that... If that is what you DL'd, pickup the ODF, PDF or HTML files with the original formating at my website http://hpulhp. .

About Raven's spells – yes, they're based on real Latin. The one when they are leaving Earth is mostly accurate (I couldn't find translations for some of the concepts and winged it with what sounded good) and when she restores the Galaxy it is 100 correct as to the actual words. The order the words are assembled might be another story :-)

Let's see, what else might be questioned... Ah yes, Yin and Yang -- which is Starfire and which is Raven: I went for the first level of their meaning which is Yin as being the darker and gloomier force and Yang being the brighter and happier. Deeper than that goes the masculine (Yang) and feminine (Yin) attributes and things just get more complicated from there.

Last but not least is Big Rock Candy Mountains. I know I know, a pretty odd twist there...

I tend to have rather cheery songs flitting through my head much of the time and when writing that section that was one that got stuck in my head. What can I say? Next thing you know it's in the story and there it stays. The lyrics are courtesy of Bluegrass off, it was NOT a kiddie song to begin with. For the younger crowd out there I'm going to cheat here and present snipped quotes from the all-inclusive – but NOT necessarily 100 accurate (no dis meant! It's the gist of their own disclaimer) -- Wickipedia on it:

"The song is generally recognized as a turn of the century hobo ballad based on 'An Invitation to Lubberland', but authorship is also generally attributed to Harry McClintock since earlier written evidence of the song is not known. As a result, the song's copyright status is also in dispute. There are secondhand reports that McClintock attempted to enforce a copyright on the song but lost his lawsuit; in that case the song is in the public domain. Without further verification it must be assumed that the song is copyright by Harry McClintock.

The song was first recorded in 1928 by Harry McClintock, also known as Haywire Mac. It is probably best remembered for its recording by Burl Ives in 1949, but it has been recorded by many artists throughout the world.

Before recording the song, McClintock cleaned it up considerably from the version he sang as a street busker in 1897. Originally the song described a child being recruited into hobo life by tales of the "big rock candy mountain". Such recruitment actually occurred, with hobos enchanting children with tales of adventure called ghost stories by other hobos. In proof of his authorship of the song, McClintock published the original words, the last verse of which was:

_The punk rolled up his big blue eyes_

_And said to the jocker, "Sandy,_

_I've hiked and hiked and wandered too,_

_But I ain't seen any candy._

_I've hiked and hiked till my feet are sore_

_And I'll be damned if I hike any more_

_To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains._

end of snipped Wickipedia quotes 

I guess all I can say is that for a 'Happy Place' to take ones mind, the BRCM sure sounds like a nice place to start!

Well folks, hoped you liked it! Kind comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome. Drop me a line at depending on the volume (optimistic aren't I) I won't guarantee replies but I'll try!

Until next time (yes there will be more), Toodles!

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